11 


.IBRARY 

DIVERSITY  OP 

CALIFORNIA 
IRVINE 


D 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS 
FOR  FRANCE 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS 
FOR  FRANCE 


BY         y 
GEORGE  CLARKE  MUSGRAVE 

AUTHOR  OF  "UNDER  THREE  FLAGS  IN  CUBA," 
"IN  BOUTH  AFRICA  WITH  BULLEK," 

ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  LONDON 

1918 


COPTRIOHT,    1918,  BT 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


TO 

E.  R.  13. 


INTRODUCTION 

This  book  has  been  published  at  the  suggestion  of  an 
officer  of  the  United  States  Army  whom  I  met  recently  in 
Europe.  A  keen  student  of  the  world  war,  he  had  fol- 
lowed its  phases  in  the  newspapers  and  had  delved  liber- 
ally in  the  imposing  array  of  war  books.  But  when  he 
reached  France,  he  found  that  he  lacked  perspective. 
Focussed  on  the  great  events,  public  attention  has  been 
moved  daily  to  different  episodes  in  the  far-flung  areas  of 
conflict,  until  the  mental  picture  has  become  kaleidoscopic. 

The  super-strategy  of  Germany  was  based  on  a  plan  to 
extend  her  frontier  straight  across  France  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Seine.  Hinged  on  Metz,  her  armies  were  to  carry 
her  frontier  posts  outward  across  Luxemburg  and  Bel- 
gium and,  in  an  impressive  sweep,  swing  the  line  south  to 
embrace  all  of  northern  France.  The  French  Army  was 
to  be  overwhelmed  in  the  process,  and  the  capture  of 
Paris  would  have  been  the  logical  result. 

Unprepared  for  this  violation  of  neutral  territory,  Joffre 
met  super-strategy  with  simple  strategy  and  super-tactics 
which  modified  the  invasion  and  wrecked  all  chances  of  a 
German  victory  and  the  bid  for  world  dominance. 

From  the  outset,  the  operations  on  the  Western  front 
must  be  approached  as  a  prolonged  battle  with  every  unit 
consolidated  in  the  general  plan.  Everyone  has  read  of 
definite  actions  in  certain  sectors,  while  brilliant  phases, 
on  which  the  developments  of  the  campaign  were  based, 
have  frequently  been  unrecorded. 

On  the  great  battlefield  outlined  by  the  virtues  and 
failures  of  Joffre's  strategy,  the  United  States  Army  is 
taking  its  place.  A  comprehensive  story  of  the  unified 

vii 


INTRODUCTION 

efforts  of  the  composite  armies  to  limit  the  German  in- 
vasion and  push  it  back  to  the  frontier  is  necessary  for 
many  readers  who  desire  to  follow  their  own  army  in  the 
field  with  a  freshened  memory  and  a  coherent  record  of 
the  events  which  have  built  up  existing  conditions.  This 
I  have  endeavored  to  present. 

The  Marne,  Ypres,  Verdun,  are  household  words.  Nancy, 
Lassigny,  the  Ancre  Valley,  and  the  Scarpe  are  among  the 
vital  French  battles  that  have  escaped  general  attention. 
Having  had  a  fortunate  opportunity  to  follow  the  reces- 
sion of  the  German  flood  from  the  Aisne  northward  in 
successive  efforts  to  flow  around  the  French  flank,  on  the 
Oise,  above  the  Somme,  across  south  and  north  Artois,  and 
finally  from  Lille  and  Belgium,  to  reach  the  coveted  coast, 
I  have  perhaps  been  able  to  supply  links  necessary  for  a 
complete  understanding  of  the  greatest  of  French  efforts 
when  there  were  no  correspondents  and  the  most  rigid 
censorship  existed. 

In  a  nascent  history  well-known  episodes  must  take  their 
place  to  complete  the  story.  But  the  basis  of  these  pages 
is  personal  observation  widened  by  a  collection  of  facts 
gathered  for  three  years  from  unusual  sources — bivouacs, 
hospitals,  prisoner  convoys,  and  neutral  points  close  to  the 
enemy's  frontier,  where  conditions  in  Belgium  and  the 
German  side  have  added  to  the  store.  In  these  chapters 
I  have  tried  to  give  a  concise  story  of  the  war,  tinged  with 
human  interest  and  so  arranged  that  its  ramifications  are 
reduced  to  a  straightforward  account  of  the  achievements 
of  France  and  her  Allies  under  the  master  hand  of  Joffre, 
whose  policy  endures. 

The  closing  pages  were  outlined  under  the  influence  of 
two  inspiring  challenges  to  Teutonic  fury — the  thunder 
of  the  new  British  guns  in  Belgium,  and  the  American 
buglers  sounding  "Taps." 

GEORGE  C.  MUSGRAVB. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 1 

II.  ON  TO  FRANCE 24 

III.  THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 57 

IV.  A  MORE  PERSONAL  VIEW  IN  PICARDY 88 

V.  THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 104 

VI.  THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 141 

VII.  DEADLOCK 177 

VIII.  THE  BATTLES  OF  1915:  ARGONNE — ARTOIS — Loos — 

CHAMPAGNE 199 

IX.  THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 231 

X.  THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 256 

XI.  THE  HINDENBURG  LINE 286 

XII.  THE  CHEMIN  DBS  DAMES 311 

XIII.  BELGIUM,   1917     .     .     . 325 

XIV.  THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 339 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Marshall     Joffre    and     General    Pershing    somewhere    in 
France Frontispiece 

FACING 
PACE 

Machine  guns  of  the  Belgian  Guide  Cavalry  Volunteers  .  12 
Giant  Austrian  howitzer  in  Belgium 12 

"Ein  Stuck  Papier" — Von  Moltke  and  von  Bethmann-Holl- 
weg,  who  planned  the  march  across  Belgium    ....     44 

General  von  Kluck 44 

A  German  column  marching  to  defeat  at  Nancy  under  the 
Kaiser's  eye 60 

An  occupied  village  shelled  by  French  guns,  which  have 
respected  the  church 60 

German  column  crossing  a  pontoon  bridge 120 

German  army  field  bakery 120 

Marshall  Joffre,  Sir  Douglas  Haig  and  General  Foch  .  .  258 
German  trenches  after  the  British  bombardment  ....  294 
British  wounded  on  the  Menin  Road,  October,  1917  .  .  .  334 
Massed  German  Reserves  ready  to  charge  near  Ypres,  1915  334 


LIST  OF  MAPS 

MM 

I.  Area  covered  during  the  strategic  retreat,  and  dis- 
position of  the  opposing  armies,  Battle  of  the 
Marne 26 

II.  Areas  across  which  the  German  armies  were  checked 
and  halted  by  the  Allies  in  successive  battles  which 
curved  the  intrenched  front  from  the  Aisne  north 
to  the  Belgian  coast 107 

III.  Area  of  the  French  offensive  in  Champagne  .     .     .  221 

IV.  Ground  lost  and  gained  above  Verdun    ....  250 
V.    The   Somme   offensive 277 

VI.    The     tangle     of     German     defenses     surrounding 

Thiepval 281 

VII.    The  British  grip  on  the  Hindenburg  line  ....  304 

VIII.    Scene  of  the  French  offensive  on  the  Aisne  between 

Soissons  and  Rheims,  1917 316 

IX.    The  Allied  drive  in  Belgium 336 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS 
FOR  FRANCE 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

THE  last  days  of  July,  1914,  found  the  industrious 
population  of  Belgium  untroubled  by  rumor  of  war. 
The  country  people  were  concerned  chiefly  with  plans 
for  their  summer  Kermesses.  Suddenly  a  commo- 
tion arose  in  every  town  and  village.  From  Brussels 
came  the  curt  order  for  the  mobilization  of  the  army. 
The  surprised  mayors  pasted  up  the  telegrams. 
Officers  hurried  into  the  busy  factories:  "Report 
yourselves. ' ' 

The  newspapers  had  told  the  public  that  Austria 
had  declared  war  on  far-off  Servia,  but  what  had 
that  to  do  with  prosperous  and  contented  Belgium? 
They  now  heard  that  Germany  had  sent  an  ultima- 
tum ordering  Russia  to  demobilize.  But,  again,  how 
was  that  their  affair  in  Flanders,  where  everybody 
was  busily  maintaining  the  industries  which  made 
their  trade  balance,  proportioned  per  capita,  the 
greatest  in  the  world  ?  Only  a  few  policemen,  on  the 
next  Sunday  night,  saw  an  automobile  dash  across 

1 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

country,  breaking  every  speed  limit,  regardless  of 
challenges.  A  Belgian  employed  on  the  railroad  had 
overheard  specific  train  orders  in  Cologne  and  his- 
toric legend  had  repeated  itself  in  modern  fashion. 
First  by  train,  then  by  electric  car,  and  finally  by 
automobile,  he  had  dashed  through  the  night  to  get 
the  tidings  to  the  capital.  That  was  why  a  party  of 
army  engineers  came  next  morning  to  the  bridge 
across  the  Meuse  at  Vise  and  drove  away  the  chil- 
dren who  had  gathered  to  watch  them.  Eight  Ger- 
man armies  were  preparing  to  attack  France  and 
strong  forces  were  assembling  to  reach  Belgium  at 
sunrise. 

Since  1831  the  preservation  of  the  neutrality  of 
Belgium  had  been  the  sworn  gospel  of  Europe.  Dur- 
ing the  War  of  1870,  Germany  expressed  to  England 
the  fear  that  France  might  violate  this  neutrality, 
and  Gladstone,  supported  by  Disraeli,  declared  that 
such  a  step  would  range  Great  Britain  as  an  ally  of 
Prussia.  Also  a  section  of  the  Hague  convention, 
ratified  by  Germany,  reads — "The  Fact  of  a  Power 
resisting  by  force  an  attempt  to  violate  its  neutrality 
cannot  be  regarded  as  a  hostile  act. '  ' 

On  the  evening  of  Sunday,  August  2,  Germany 
sent  a  twelve-hour  ultimatum,  generous  in  tone  if  ac- 
cepted, demanding  that  Belgium  forget  her  sacred 
obligations  and  allow  free  passage  for  armies  to  in- 
vade France.  Without  hesitation  the  young  ruler  of 
this  most  democratic  of  kingdoms  voiced  the  will  of 

2 


THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

his  people  in  refusal.  He  had  only  the  summer  Sun- 
day night  to  gather  his  parliament  from  country  and 
sea  shore,  to  ratify  the  dignified  refusal  of  the  note 
written  by  M.  Davignon.  Before  daylight  the  mes- 
senger had  reached  the  Palace  with  news  that  the 
Germans  were  moving.  As  the  legislators  assem- 
bled, it  was  7  A.  M.  and  German  troops  started  over 
the  border.  Every  bell  rang  out  the  news. 

The  Meuse  forms  a  natural  defense  to  Belgium  on 
a  line  extending  from  the  French  frontier  near  Givet, 
whence  it  flows  north  to  Namur,  roughly  eastward 
through  Huy  to  Liege,  then  north  again  to  Holland. 
Between  Liege  and  Namur  the  river  parallels  the  di- 
rect road  and  rail  between  Berlin  and  Paris,  which 
run  through  the  military  base  at  Cologne  via  Aix-la- 
Chapelle  across  Belgium  to  France,  and  thence  via 
Maubeuge  and  St.  Quentin  to  Paris.  To  discourage 
the  use  of  this  natural  line  of  invasion  across  her 
territory  by  either  France  or  Germany,  strong  forti- 
fications had  been  erected  by  Belgium,  at  Namur  and 
Liege.  Namur  closed  the  gate  to  France;  Liege 
closed  the  portal  to  Germany.  On  the  main  roads 
from  Germany  to  the  heart  of  Belgium  there  were 
no  fortifications. 

To  avoid  the  fortified  line  on  the  Franco-German 
border  and  to  strike  decisive  blows  before  France 
had  time  to  mobilize,  the  German  General  Staff 
planned  to  hurl  five  armies  across  neutral  Belgium 
and  Luxemburg  at  points  where  the  French  frontier 

3 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

was  practically  unfortified.  Fully  prepared,  they 
gave  Belgium  nominal  notice  of  one  night,  and  in- 
stantly started  their  columns  over  the  frontier. 
Liege  was  the  first  obstacle,  and  strong  advance 
forces  of  the  Second  Army  moved  forward  on  the 
roads  converging  there,  through  Venders,  Dolhain, 
Francorchamps  and  Stavelot.  An  army  corps 
forced  its  way  through  Luxemburg,  seizing  the  rail- 
roads of  the  Grand  Duchy,  opening  the  way  for  the 
Fourth  and  Fifth  Armies,  and  sending  a  detached 
column  north  by  rail  through  Trois  Vierges  (Faith, 
Hope  and  Charity)  to  ravish  the  undefended  dis- 
tricts of  southeast  Belgium. 

Belgian  resistance  was  not  taken  seriously — the 
army  was  small,  untried  and  scattered.  A  swift 
blow,  therefore,  was  aimed  by  the  First  German 
Army  from  Aix-la-Chapelle  at  the  nearest  point,  the 
Vise  bridge,  where  troops  could  pour  unhampered 
across  the  Meuse,  isolate  and  attack  General  Leman 
and  the  Third  Division  of  the  Field  Army  which  was 
mobilizing  at  Diest,  and  strike  at  the  heart  of  Bel- 
gium without  touching  fortifications. 

Vise  lies  on  the  German  side  of  the  river.  On 
the  road  toward  the  frontier,  a  patrol  of  Belgian 
lancers  was  already  waiting — David  looking  for 
Goliath.  When  a  cloud  of  dust  approaching  re- 
solved itself,  they  galloped  back  through  the  town 
and  across  the  bridge  where  the  expectant  engineers 
were  waiting.  With  a  roar  a  breach  was  blown  in 

4 


THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

the  structure,  the  permanent  break  between  Belgium 
and  Germany.  Too  late  the  Uhlans  galloped  down 
to  the  bridge-head  where  a  solitary  town  guard,  in 
glazed  billy-cock  and  unarmed,  stepped  forward  in 
protest.  Emblem  of  insignificant  Eight  against 
Might,  he  spoke,  and  laid  a  restraining  hand  on  the 
leader's  bridle.  This  was  the  Civil  challenge,  con- 
temptuously met  and  ending  in  a  lance  thrust.  In- 
stantly the  military  power,  the  handful  of  Belgian 
troops  in  the  broken  masonry  across  the  river,  took 
up  the  gage,  and  poured  a  volley  across  the  breach, 
which  sent  the  Uhlans  flying,  and  veritably  echoed 
round  the  world,  the  first  definite  shots  in  the  great- 
est war  in  history.  The  mobile  columns  marched 
into  Vise  just  too  late. 

The  destroyed  bridge  caused  a  short  but  vital  de- 
lay to  the  invaders  of  the  First  Army,  which  sent 
back  for  pontoon  trains  and  made  a  crossing  toward 
neutral  Maastricht.  Cavalry  and  light  artillery 
poured  over  and  massed  at  Tongres,  covering  all 
roads  to  cut  off  General  Leman.  But  he  had  al- 
ready gathered  his  famous  Third  Division  and  had 
made  a  dash  of  sixty-eight  miles  south  to  Liege, 
where  volunteers  were  erecting  defenses  between  the 
forts,  and  preparing  for  the  German  columns  al- 
ready converging  on  the  city,  expecting  to  find  it 
garrisoned  only  by  artillery.  Another  pontoon 
bridge  was  later  erected  below  Vise,  and  a  column 
crossed  to  the  west  bank,  to  march  on  Liege  from 

5 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  north.  This  force  swept  aside  local  troops  as- 
sembling along  the  river,  shooting  as  spies  the  peas- 
ants who  rowed  away  from  their  goose  farms  some- 
times with  information,  generally  with  the  not  un- 
natural desire  to  get  their  families  on  the  "safe" 
side  of  the  Meuse. 

In  turn  its  advance  guard  was  surprised  by  Bel- 
gian cavalry  and  cut  to  pieces.  The  column,  how- 
ever, pushed  steadily  south  along  the  river,  with 
huge  screens  of  cavalry  sweeping  the  districts  on  its 
right  flank,  spreading  terror  everywhere  and  in 
many  cases  rounding  up  and  executing  as  civilians 
volunteers,  poorly  armed,  but  regularly  enrolled  in 
the  villages  to  patrol  roads  and  watch  for  the  enemy. 

When  this  column  entered  Herstal,  birthplace  of 
Charlemagne  and  site  of  the  National  Arms  factory, 
the  men  were  away  busily  preparing  defenses  at 
Liege.  But  the  women  seized  rifles  and  cartridges 
from  the  factories ;  scalding  water  was  drawn  from 
the  boilers;  oil  was  heated;  and  as  the  leading  ele- 
ments of  the  column  went  through  the  town  they  were 
furiously  assailed,  and  finally  forced  to  withdraw 
until  artillery  hammered  out  the  spirited  opposition. 
This  fight  accounts  for  the  slaughter  of  many  women 
and  children.  The  defense  of  Herstal  was  a  fight  by 
civilians.  Yet  every  free  heart  thrills  at  the  story, 
and  the  delay  entailed  was  of  great  value  to  the  gar- 
rison feverishly  strengthening  its  position  a  few 
miles  south. 

6 


THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

Many  civilians  from  the  neighborhood,  suspected 
of  trying  to  take  information  to  Liege,  were  shot 
and  their  homes  destroyed.  This  recalls  the  fact 
that  the  homes  of  Spanish  railroadmen  who  spied 
on  the  landing  of  troops  near  Santiago  were  re- 
spected and  their  families  fed  by  the  United  States 
Army. 

We  must  realize  that  the  Germans  at  the  outset 
were  enraged  by  losses  inflicted  from  every  bit  of 
cover,  a  resistance  which  they  had  not  expected. 
Remember  also  that  the  descendants  of  the  people 
who  withstood  the  Spanish  Fury  were  not  likely  to 
submit  tamely,  and  a  bitterly  hostile  countryside  un- 
doubtedly broke  formal  rules  of  war.  Study  the 
testimony  of  those  neutrals  who  marched  with  the 
main  German  army  and  speak  of  its  discipline. 
Erase  the  effect  of  exaggerated  stories  of  atrocities. 
All  this  still  leaves  hundreds  of  positive  incidents  ,of 
severity  which  make  the  earlier  days  of  invasion  a 
black  spot  on  German  history,  and  without  parallel 
in  modern  times. 

The  first  Germans  seen  in  Liege  were  Uhlans.  A 
patrol  made  a  detour,  rode  into  the  unprotected 
suburbs  through  St.  Laurent,  and  with  magnificent 
effrontery  cantered  to  the  Belgian  Headquarters  on 
the  rue  Sainte  Foi.  They  dashed  in  upon  the  staff, 
shot  down  several  officers  and  rushed  at  General  Le- 
man.  Colonel  March,and,  however,  unarmed  and 
single-handed,  fought  them  off  with  his  fists  and  was 

7 


.UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

instantly  killed,  while  an  aide  dragged  the  general 
backward  through  a  rear  door.  Boy  scouts,  waiting 
for  duty,  recognized  the  uniform,  stampeded  the 
horses  with  their  staves  and  gave  the  alarm  to 
guards  who  rushed  up  and  bayoneted  the  invaders. 

Further  south  two  corps  of  the  Second  German 
Army  were  closing  irresistibly  on  Liege.  Various 
Belgian  detachments  had  harassed  its  columns  per- 
sistently, firing  from  wooded  hills  along  the  route, 
despite  flanking  cavalry,  ineffective  against  a  mobile 
foe  which  knew  the  by-paths  and  was  helped  by 
commandeered  automobiles  with  machine  guns. 

As  a  proof  of  German  preparation,  war  had  come 
automatically  at  7  A.  MV  August  3.  At  23  o'clock 
(Belgian  time)  the  outposts  on  the  main  roads  hold- 
ing Pepinster,  Battice,  Herve  and  smaller  hamlets, 
were  heavily  engaged  and  finally  forced  back  to  the 
fortified  lines  of  Liege.  The  pretty  towns  defended 
near  the  frontier  were  soon  flaming  ruins,  the  quaint 
neutral  territory  of  Moresnet  rising  as  an  oasis  in  a 
desert  of  destruction. 

The  German  attack  was  so  sudden  that  the  Belgian 
Third  Division  in  Liege  could  only  be  supplemented 
by  the  Fifteenth  Mixed  Brigade  before  the  city  was 
invested.  Detachments  of  Civil  Guards  and  enrolled 
civilian  volunteers,  who  aided  the  defense,  were  after- 
ward refused  the  rights  of  belligerents,  and  many 
were  executed.  The  defenses  of  Liege  were  based 
on  a  ring  of  twelve  self-contained  forts,  dominant 

8 


THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

points  on  the  circumference  of  the  natural  bowl  in 
which  the  city  is  spread  over  the  junction  of  the 
Meuse  and  lesser  rivers  and  canals  and  railroads. 
Next  to  Antwerp,  the  position,  fortified  in  1886, 
marked  the  supreme  effort  of  Brialmont.  The  forts 
were  capped  with  burnished  steel  cupolas  based  on 
solid  concrete,  with  disappearing  guns.  The  turrets 
were  impregnable  to  the  fire  of  regular  artillery,  the 
domes  deflecting  shells  fired  at  ordinary  trajectory. 
Given  sufficient  time  to  prepare  subordinate  field, 
works  between  the  forts,  and  enough  troops  to  man 
the  defensive  circumference  of  thirty-three  miles,  the 
position  was  practically  impregnable  under  old  con- 
ditions. Redoubts  between  the  forts,  often  sug- 
gested, had  never  been  constructed. 

Because  of  the  frank  threats  of  German  military 
writers,  and  the  network  of  strategic  railroads  that 
had  been  built  from  the  German  military  bases  to 
the  Belgian,  French  and  Russian  frontiers,  to  enable 
rapid  concentration  of  troops,  Belgium  had  partly 
heeded  the  warning  and  kept  the  forts  equipped.  It 
is  significant,  however,  that  a  large  order  for  shells 
for  the  400  guns  in  the  defenses,  placed  with  the 
Krupps  for  delivery  during  the  previous  spring,  had 
been  delayed  persistently  without  satisfactory  ex- 
cuse. The  Belgian  Field  Artillery  also  had  little 
proper  ammunition,  and  I  have  seen  scores  of  their 
guns  with  the  rifling  torn  out  through  the  use  of  old 
shells  without  driving  bands.  Time  and  men  were 

9 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

lacking  to  prepare  adequately  and  to  hold  field  works 
in  the  huge  gaps  between  the  forts  before  the  at- 
tack on  Liege  opened,  for  while  demanding  that  Kus- 
sia  demobilize,  Germany  had  three  army  corps  ready 
to  attack  this  plant  alone. 

General  von  Emmich,  commanding  the  Tenth  Army 
Corps,  had  charge  of  the  operations  against  Liege. 
With  the  Tenth  was  the  Seventh  Corps,  under  Count 
von  Arnim,  and  the  Ninth  followed  under  General 
von  Luetwitz.  The  advance  guard  of  the  Seventh 
Corps  first  clashed  with  the  Belgian  outposts  on  the 
Herve  road.  Forces  moving  from  Verviers  through 
the  Vesdre  Valley  were  also  hotly  engaged  on 
August  3.  By  afternoon  of  the  4th  the  attack  had 
fully  developed,  and  the  Seventh  Corps  advanced  in 
force  on  the  northeast  sectors  including  Forts 
Barchon  and  Evegnee.  The  Germans  opened  fire 
with  their  regular  complement  of  field  artillery, 
but  the  shells  ricochetted  harmlessly  from  the  forts, 
and  Evegnee  was  bombarded  for  hours  without  los- 
ing a  man.  A  large  force  of  infantry  then  moved  in 
close  order  against  Fort  Barchon,  sweeping  below 
the  final  depression  of  the  guns.  The  center  reached 
the  glacis  of  the  fort  before  it  was  swept  away  by 
infantry  and  machine  guns  in  the  parapet.  The  left 
and  right  wings  pushed  on  against  the  two-mile  gaps 
on  either  side,  to  encounter  an  effective  repulse  from 
a  line  of  crude  trenches  constructed  hastily  the 
previous  night.  Three  times  the  assault  was  at- 

10 


THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

tempted  with  huge  masses  which  were  slaughtered 
in  hundreds  and  hurled  back.  After  dark  the 
Germans  retired  out  of  range  with  appalling  losses. 
Their  expected  surprises  had  miscarried. 

But  on  the  5th  the  Germans  were  heavily  reen- 
forced  as  the  Tenth  Corps,  including  the  famous 
Ironsides  of  Brandenburg,  closed  in,  followed  by  the 
Ninth  Corps.  Attacks  were  now  delivered  on  all 
sides,  and  though  the  defenders  fought  desperately, 
General  Leman  soon  found  that  he  could  no  longer 
muster  enough  troops  to  meet  simultaneous  assaults 
between  all  the  forts.  Early  on  the  6th,  heavy  artil- 
lery opened  on  the  town  without  notice,  •  shelling 
three  of  the  oldest  churches  in  existence,  and  smash- 
ing stained  glass  and  carvings  which  all  the  world 
loved  and  which  can  never  be  replaced.  Many  wo- 
men and  children  were  killed,  and  a  Zeppelin  added 
to  the  terrors. 

Realizing  that  the  city  was  doomed,  the  Belgian 
field  forces  made  an  amazing  escape  late  at  night  on 
the  7th  and  the  Germans  entered  next  day.  Though 
enormous  siege  howitzers  were  now  firing,  the  forts 
prepared  to  resist  to  the  last.  General  Leman  and 
his  staff  retired  to  Fort  Loncin. 

His  cavalry  and  cyclist  patrols,  cut  off  east  of  the 
city,  maintained  a  vigorous  guerrilla  warfare  on  the 
German  communications.  Their  lawful  tactics 
caused  the  most  heartless  reprisals  by  the  invaders 
against  the  civil  population.  A  detachment  under 

11 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Corporal  Van  Dael,  an  artist  well  known  in  New 
York,  rode  around  the  outskirts  of  Vise,  cleaned  up 
guards  on  the  water  supply,  from  a  hill  sniped  offi- 
cers '  cars  in  Maastricht  Avenue,  and  ambushed  some 
Hussars  at  Loretto.  In  reprisal  many  hostages  in 
Vise  were  executed,  and  the  town,  in  which  all  arms 
had  been  given  up,  was  set  on  fire.  Even  the  church 
containing  the  famous  reliquary,  Chasse  de  St.  Hade- 
lin,  was  gutted,  firemen  being  shot  and  thrown  to 
the  flames.  In  a  dozen  villages  the  shameful  story 
was  repeated.  Noncombatants  trapped  in  the  out- 
skirts of  Liege  suffered  terribly  before  the  Germans 
gained  entry  August  8. 

Let  no  one  underrate  the  capture  of  Liege  as  a  feat 
of  arms.  For  four  days,  gallantly  and  fruitlessly, 
the  infantry  in  massed  formation  had  tried  to  storm 
modern  fortifications.  The  secret  of  the  war,  Ger- 
many's huge  siege  artillery,  then  came  into  action. 
Austrian  howitzers  1  and  Krupp  mortars,  with  high- 
angle  fire  and  enormous  projectiles,  spelled  the  doom 
of  the  forts.  The  necessary  masonry  platforms 
were  ready  when  the  hour  arrived.  Concrete  takes 
many  days  to  dry,  and  on  the  6th  the  guns  were  in 
place.  The  Germans  now  claim  that  they  have  a 
secret  concrete  which  hardens  rapidly.  In  Belgium 
and  in  France  there  is  positive  proof  that  gun  plat- 
forms were  ready,  carefully  masked  as  the  f ounda- 

1  Austrian  gunners  were  fighting  at  Liege  and  Namur  several 
days  before  their  country  had  declared  war  on  Belgium. 

12 


MACHINE  GUNS  OP  THE  BELGIAN  GUIDE  CAVALRY  VOLUNTEERS 


GIANT  AUSTRIAN  HOWITZER  IN  BELGIUM 


THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

tions  of  flimsy  commercial  sheds  operated  by  Ger- 
man firms.  The  guns  had  the  range  measured  to  a 
foot  by  previous  survey. 

On  Fort  Loncin,  west  of  the  city,  a  ton  of  steel 
dropped  from  the  sky  cracked  its  central  turret  like 
an  eggshell,  and  blew  the  top  of  the  fort  to  pieces. 
Subsequent  shells  destroyed  the  entire  structure,  the 
heroic  Belgian  commander  being  buried  in  the  ruins. 
Major  Collard,  two  devoted  orderlies  and  a  gen- 
darme, crept  into  the  shattered  vaults  where  General 
Leman  was  being  asphyxiated  by  the  gases,  and 
tore  the  masonry  from  his  body.  Major  Collard 
collapsed  and  was  suffocated.  The  other  heroes 
dragged  the  General  out  and  when  he  recovered  con- 
sciousness the  Germans  were  standing  by  him. 

General  von  Emmich  hurried  over,  shook  hands 
with  his  brave  adversary,  refusing  his  sword  and 
congratulating  him  on  his  defense.  ''Report  that  I 
was  insensible  when  I  was  captured,  that  I  did  not 
surrender, ' '  Leman  replied.  The  other  forts  made  a 
sporadic  defense  for  days.  Not  one  capitulated 
after  the  city  had  fallen.  They  were  reduced  one  by 
one  in  turn,  becoming  the  tombs  of  their  gallant 
defenders.  At  Fort  Chaudfontaine  Major  Nameche 
blew  up  his  magazine,  dying  with  his  men  after  send- 
ing engines  and  dynamite  into  the  nearest  tunnel, 
thus  destroying  the  railroad  to  Aix-la-Chapelle. 
Near  Chaudfontaine  half  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Regi- 
ment was  cut  off  in  the  woods,  but  finally  cut  its  way 

13 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

out  at  night  and  reached  Namur.  Ten  days  were 
lost  in  opening  the  first  gate  to  France. 

The  Belgian  Army,  with  its  Garde  Civique,  was 
originally  a  compulsory  National  Guard,  stiffened  by 
a  small  regular  army  and  its  trained  reserves.  It 
also  had  some  splendid  volunteer  regiments.  Its 
formation  deserves  special  study  in  the  United 
States,  as  it  maintained  an  effective  fighting  force 
with  few  of  the  elements  of  conscription.  Many 
definite  plans  for  improvements  were  being  tested 
when  war  broke  out.  Its  strength  then  was  260,000, 
more  than  half  being  fortress  troops. 

The  mobilization  was  conducted  like  clockwork, 
the  Brussels  division  being  equipped  and  ready  in 
twenty-four  hours.  The  infantry  divisions  are 
large,  22,000  men.  Extensive  fortifications  called 
for  garrison  forces  more  than  equalling  the  field 
army,  and  for  them  the  Civil  Guard  was  largely 
destined,  until  Germany  denied  these  National 
Guardsmen  belligerent  rights,  and 'deliberately  exe- 
cuted those  captured  fighting.  The  Civil  Guard, 
therefore,  was  finally  withdrawn  until  it  could  be 
uniformed  and  incorporated  in  the  regular  army. 
Colonel  Falls,  then  Adjutant  of  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment of  New  York,  was  at  the  front  with  the  Belgian 
army,  and  his  instructive  report  on  the  simple  effec- 
tiveness of  Belgian  mobilization  has  been  filed  in 
Washington. 

While  Liege  was  tottering,  the  Belgian  Field  Army, 

14 


THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

which  was  to  have  been  caught  when  scattered  and 
unprepared,  by  the  First  German  Army,  which  had 
massed  unopposed  at  Tongres,  had  moved  swiftly  to 
its  allotted  positions.  Its  front,  facing  east,  formed 
a  huge  crescent  between  France  and  Holland,  its 
right  resting  near  Namur,  the  line  curving  across 
Brabant  through  Wavre,  Louvain,  Aerschot  and 
Diest,  with  cavalry  on  both  flanks. 

When  the  First  and  Second  German  Armies  should 
have  been  sweeping  across  France  if  the  dash  to  Paris 
was  to  succeed,  the  Field  Army  across  Belgium  had 
still  to  be  defeated.  They  attacked  on  both  flanks, 
and  by  sheer  weight  of  numbers  beat  the  Belgian 
left  and  right  back  until  the  crescent  became  in- 
verted into  a  semi-circle  before  Brussels.  Na- 
mur was  thus  isolated,  but  the  Field  Army  was 
intact  and  fighting  stubbornly,  delaying  actions 
when  every  hour  gained  was  of  vital  importance 
to  France. 

Recall  the  German  contention  of  military  neces- 
sity, which  claimed  that  French  troops  were  massing 
at  Givet  to  attack  Germany  through  Belgium.  Dur- 
ing the  spirited  resistance  of  her  small  neighbor,  the 
French  had  neither  the  forces  available  to  make  a 
defensive  line  along  the  Meuse,  nor  to  check  the  army 
that  marched  in  unopposed,  north  of  Luxemburg. 
In  the  third  week  of  war,  only  cavalry  could  be 
spared  to  help  the  Belgian  right  and  when  General 
Sylvester  led  his  mounted  troops  to  Gembloux,  they 

15 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

were  too  late  to  make  a  junction.  Namur  was  cut 
off  and  almost  invested  when  a  single  French  bat- 
talion went  up  to  reenforce  the  garrison.  History 
must  emphatically  negative  the  German  claim. 
Nearly  a  million  men  were  ravishing  Belgium  before 
France  moved  a  man  across  the  frontier. 

When  war  was  imminent,  two  unarmed  engineer 
officers  did  motor  from  France  two  miles  over  the 
frontier  to  discuss  the  need  of  destroying  the 
new  bridge  near  the  famous  church  at  Hastierre,  a 
gateway  to  France.  Less  serious  than  the  presence 
of  the  spies  who  reported  it,  this  incident  is  the 
basis  of  the  charge  proclaimed  by  world-known  pro- 
fessors as  a  breach  of  neutrality,  and  a  justification 
for  all  that  Germany  has  done  to  Belgium. 

I  could  fill  a  volume  with  unpublished  incidents  of 
the  campaign  which  I  have  gathered  from  Belgian 
soldiers,  officials,  refugees  and  German  deserters. 
When  we  realize  that  a  peaceful  country  suddenly 
swarmed  with  hostile  detachments,  partly  free  from 
discipline  and  encouraged  in  excesses,  outrages  on 
unprotected  women  were  to  be  expected.  There  are 
fiends  in  every  nation  and  in  peace  the  statistics  of 
degeneracy  in  Germany  were  astounding.  What 
does  materially  concern  the  world  was  the  enforce- 
ment of  an  authorized  and  pitiless  military  code  of 
rape,  arson,  murder  and  theft,  which  no  people  out- 
side Germany  can  either  justify  or  understand;  the 
deliberate  foundation  for  their  political  heritage 

16 


THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

with  a  nation  which  they  expected  to  absorb  and 
Germanize. 

Though  all  its  articles  were  not  ratified  by  all  the 
nations,  the  Hague  Convention  definitely  outlines  the 
military  code  of  the  United  States,  and  by  that  code 
the  conduct  of  the  war  will  be  judged  by  American 
public  opinion.  A  clause  agreed  to  by  Germany 
states  that  the  inhabitants  of  a  territory,  who  take 
up  arms  spontaneously  to  resist  invading  troops 
without  having  time  to  organize  themselves,  shall 
be  regarded  as  belligerents,  if  they  carry  arms 
openly  and  respect  the  laws  of  war.  When  the  call 
for  volunteers  was  made,  civil  guards,  reservists, 
ex-soldiers  and  other  able-bodied  men  hurried  to 
various  points  of  mobilization.  Notably  at  Vise,  the 
dividing  line  of  Flemings  and  Walloons,  who  every- 
where rallied  to  the  common  cause,  men  from  out- 
lying districts  seized  their  rifles,  but  were  caught  in 
the  tide  of  invasion  as  they  made  their  way  to  vari- 
ous centers.  They  were  rounded  up  in  scores  and 
summarily  executed,  because  they  had  no  uniforms. 
Most  of  them  were  members  of  organized  forces  that 
corresponded  to  the  National  Guard  of  the  United 
States.  The  splendid  armories  of  American  cities 
are  unknown  in  Europe.  Detachments  were  widely 
scattered;  the  men  kept  their  rifles  for  local  drills, 
but  uniforms  and  equipment  were  stored  at  central 
headquarters  for  use  when  the  regiments  were  mus- 
tered for  training,  parade  or  emergency. 

17 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

In  the  Liege  district  a  female  spy  was  employed 
at  some  telephone  exchange.  The  names  of  many 
people  who  called  up  Belgian  Headquarters  with 
information  during  the  invasion  were  reported  and 
all  who  were  caught  were  shot.  Among  these  was 
the  superb  heroine  of  Dalhem,  a  girl  of  seventeen. 
German  batteries  were  grouped  before  her  home,  and 
regardless  of  the  hail  of  bursting  shells  she  remained 
for  hours  on  the  wire,  correcting  the  aim  of  the  Bel- 
gian gunners  who  were  engaging  the  enemy's  artil- 
lery. She  did  not  flinch  as  she  faced  the  firing 
squad,  so  piteously  alone.  Some  of  us  who  are 
pledged  after  the  war  to  erect  a  statue  on  the  spot 
hallowed  by  that  child-woman's  blood  will  appeal 
for  funds  only  to  the  children  of  the  United  States 
and  the  British  Empire,  that  each  may  give  a  mite. 

Caught  in  Verviers  by  the  war  and  trying  to  reach 
Ostend,  Dr.  John  Munro  MacKenzie,  pastor  emeritus 
of  the  Mount  Pleasant  Presbyterian  Church  of  Liv- 
erpool, seventy-eight  and  an  invalid,  was  staying 
with  Mr.  Blaise,  an  official  of  Dalhem.  The  night 
that  Liege  fell  an  isolated  patrol  of  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Regiment  fired  at  the  guard  as  they  fled  past 
the  town,  killing  two  men.  In  reprisal  several 
houses  were  fired  by  the  Germans,  the  male  inmates 
being  shot  down  like  dogs  as  they  escaped.  The 
stairs  of  the  Blaise  home  were  on  fire  when  the 
inmates,  including  a  Danish  lady  with  a  sick  child 
and  the  aged  clergyman,  escaped  in  their  night 

18 


THE  BELGIAN  PKELUDE 

clothes.  Dr.  MacKenzie  and  Mr.  Blaise,  with  his 
wife  clinging  to  him,  were  dragged  to  the  gutter  and 
shot  at  close  range.  Other  people  were  burned  in 
their  beds.  The  shameful  reign  of  terror  there  is 
fully  verified. 

At  a  later  stage  some  cavalrymen  had  ordered 
coffee  made  at  a  village  store.  Owing  to  the  intol- 
erable sanitary  conditions  caused  by  the  bivouac  of 
thousands  of  troops,  the  local  authorities  had  dis- 
tributed small  bags  of  quicklime.  These  Belgians 
had  no  sugar,  but  an  eager  soldier  ladled  lime  into 
the  coffee  by  mistake.  The  storekeeper  and  his  wife 
were  executed.  Like  a  mare's  nest  a  wholesale  poi- 
son plot  was  scented,  and  several  innocent  people 
who  had  the  official  lime  were  shot,  before  an  officer 
arrived  who  could  interpret  and  understand. 

A  boy  scout,  returning  from  a  mission  near  Ghent, 
was  caught  by  Hussars  and,  refusing  to  answer  ques- 
tions, was  taken  up  the  road  a  prisoner.  Without  a 
sign  he  let  his  captors  march  into  an  ambush  of  the 
troops  to  which  he  was  attached  as  messenger,  and 
after  the  fight  he  was  executed.  At  Soiron  three 
farmers,  finding  soldiers  stealing  their  crops,  were 
attacked.  They  defended  themselves  with  hay  forks 
and  killed  one  in  the  fight.  They  were  hanged  in  a 
row. 

Paul  Hocker,  the  novelist,  and  Captain  of  Land- 
wehr,  describes  the  code.  He  was  searching  for 
arms.  A  boy,  an  enrolled  volunteer,  was  discov- 

19 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ered  in  the  straw,  with  a  rifle.  The  mother  and  sis- 
ter pleaded,  but  the  youth  was  shot.  '  *  Thus  we  sup- 
press the  rabble  that  wars  on  German  soldiers," 
was  the  naive  comment  in  the  diary  of  this  cultured 
author.  A  boy,  executed  near  Louvain,  was  patrol- 
ling the  road  with  an  empty  .22  rifle,  by  the  side  of 
his  soldier  father.  Peasants  sometimes  fired;  they 
often  waylaid  and  attacked  small  detachments  of 
men  that  were  ravishing  their  women.  But  the 
actual  perpetrators  were  seldom  caught,  the  villages 
were  burned  and  innocent  victims  were  hanged  or 
shot.  If  hostages  had  been  taken,  generally  mayors 
and  priests,  they  paid  forfeit  if  an  over-zealous  citi- 
zen or  patrol  fired  a  shot.  At  Aerschot,  after  its 
capture,  three  shots  at  night  led  to  the  destruction  of 
several  streets  and  the  indiscriminate  shooting  of 
150  civilians  in  reprisal.  The  nephew  of  a  lady  whom 
I  had  met  at  the  Plaza  a  few  months  earlier,  a  lad 
of  16,  was  executed.  His  crime  was  a  hot-headed 
remark  made  when  the  house  was  searched.  No 
rifles  were  found,  but  this  house  was  deliberately 
burned. 

These  are  typical  of  hundreds  of  incidents  of 
ruthless  official  massacre  and  destruction  stimu- 
lated by  inspired  stories  of  impossible  outrages  by  an 
unarmed  people  against  an  army.  When  half  Bel- 
gium was  a  smoldering  ruin  the  chief  German  sur- 
geon of  the  Military  Hospital  in  Aix-la-Chapelle, 
through  which  all  casualties  were  then  evacuated, 

20 


THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

admitted  that  he  had  seen  no  German  wounded  mu- 
tilated by  Belgians. 

For  eleven  days,  fighting  raged  along  the  entire 
Belgian  line  across  Brabant.  Louvain  fell  August 
19,  and  with  both  flanks  enveloped  the  army  was 
forced  to  withdraw  to  Brussels,  unfortified  but 
hastily  barricaded.  The  government  had  moved  to 
Antwerp.  To  save  the  capital  from  destruction,  on 
August  20,  the  barricades  were  removed  and  the 
greatly  outnumbered  army  fell  back  in  good  order 
to  the  fortified  lines  of  Antwerp.  But  von  Kluck 
turned  his  main  forces  at  Brussels  and  moved  to 
France,  leaving  new  formations  to  hold  the  roads. 
The  Belgians  made  a  sortie  on  the  25th  and  reached 
Malines.  The  alarm  from  this  fighting  and  the  run- 
ning amuck  at  night  of  a  youth,  half -crazed  by  an 
attempted  assault  of  his  sister  by  a  staff  officer,  led 
to  the  burning  of  the  Ville  Haute  quarter  of  Louvain, 
including  the  Jesuit  college  and  the  famous  library. 
Civilians  were  executed  in  scores,  including  many 
neutral  students.  Among  them  were  five  Span- 
iards, for  whom  Germany  has  paid  Spain  100,000 
marks  for  their  relatives,  with  an  official  apology. 

The  German  schedule  had  allowed  five  days  for 
the  armies  to  wheel  across  Belgium  from  the  frontier 
zones,  with  columns  only  partly  unfolded.  With 
siege  guns  on  the  left  to  batter  the  forts,  the  right 
wing  was  to  rely  on  its  cavalry  for  combat,  and  move 
in  echelon  to  shorten  the  arc  of  the  wide  swing,  on 

21 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

moving  pivot,  to  change  the  front  from  west  to  south, 
and  sweep  on  across  France  in  line  with  the  center 
armies.  Six  days  more  were  to  find  the  columns 
fully  unfolded  and  deploying  on  the  wide  front  be- 
tween Verdun  and  Paris  to  attack  before  the  French 
armies  could  mobilize  and  concentrate.  Three  weeks 
had  been  consumed  before  Namur  fell.  The  First, 
Second  and  Third  German  Armies  then  could  only 
complete  the  turn  to  march  southward  down  the 
main  roads  to  France  by  leaving  the  unbroken  Bel- 
gian army  intact  in  its  last  stronghold  to  retain  for 
weeks  an  army  of  investment  urgently  needed  to 
support  the  march  on  Paris.  And  Anglo-French 
forces  were  now  gathering  across  their  path. 

The  delay  stirred  the  invaders  to  frenzy,  and  the 
final  days  were  black  for  Belgium.  Women  and  chil- 
dren were  forced  to  act  as  screens  to  the  advance, 
and  the  rear  guards  wreaked  foul  vengeance  on  the 
captured  villages  as  they  were  evacuated.  Every  one 
has  heard  of  children  with  amputated  hands,  but  not 
a  single  case  has  been  authenticated,  and  the  wide- 
spread canard  has  been  easily  refuted.  Shall  we 
substitute  the  charge  by  the  photograph  now  beside 
me,  taken  by  German  soldiers,  showing  the  tortured 
bodies  of  seven  tiny  girls  in  a  heap?  Here  is  an- 
other of  five  older  girls  on  the  banks  of  a  stream, 
also  outraged  to  death.  One  of  a  boy  crouched  be- 
side the  stripped  body  of  his  sister.  Here  are  med- 
ical photographs  also  of  living  victims  of  degener- 

22 


THE  BELGIAN  PRELUDE 

ates — these  reached  Belgian  and  French  surgeons, 
but  perhaps  would  have  been  better  dead.  Officers 
inured  to  battle  turn  away  in  horror  from  these 
photographs  which  illustrate  part  of  the  price  that 
the  innocent  country  has  paid.  "We  lived  like  gods 
in  Belgium,  boozing  and  raping  our  way  across," 
wrote  one  soldier  to  his  brother. 


CHAPTEE  II 
ON  TO  FRANCE 

THE  German  General  Staff  had  provided  for  the 
simultaneous  invasion  of  France  by  eight  armies, 
from  their  great  military  bases  linked  by  a  network 
of  strategic  railways,  which  insured  effective  mobil- 
ization and  rapid  transportation  to  the  frontier. 
The  complete  success  of  the  operations  depended 
upon  the  ability  to  strike  at  all  points  while  the 
French  were  unprepared  and  in  the  chaos  of  mobil- 
ization, and  to  dash  rapidly  against  Paris,  deliver- 
ing decisive  blows  before  the  ponderous  forces  of 
Russia  must  be  met  by  a  strong  army  on  the  eastern 
frontier.  Every  detail  for  the  violation  of  neutral 
territories  had  been  provided  for,  including  procla- 
mations in  Flemish  and  French  for  general  ex- 
igencies, many  with  date  of  imprint  of  1906. 

From  Cologne  the  armies  marching  via  Belgium 
advanced  through  Aix-la-Chapelle.  The  First  Army 
under  General  von  Kluck,  as  described,  moved  due 
west  across  the  unprotected  section  of  the  Meuse 
through  the  heart  of  Belgium,  to  march  on  France 
with  its  main  advance  down  the  Lille  road  from 
Brussels.  The  Second  Army,  under  von  Buelow, 

24 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

took  the  direct  route  from  Berlin  to  Paris  through 
Liege  and  Namur  to  Charleroi  and  into  France  via 
Maubeuge.  Von  Buelow  had  heavy  siege  trains, 
chiefly  Austrian,  to  batter  the  forts  en  route.  The 
Third  Army,  Saxon,  under  von  Hausen,  reached 
Belgium  through  Malmedy,  marching  along  the 
Meuse  to  Huy,  then  southwest  to  Dinant,  where  the 
road,  rail  and  river  lead  down  to  the  frontier  to 
France  at  Givet.  Based  on  Coblenz,  the  Fourth 
Army  under  the  Duke  of  Wurttemberg,  advanced 
across  North  Luxemburg  and  Belgium  and  struck 
France  at  Mezieres  and  Sedan.  Based  on  Coblenz 
and  Frankfurt,  the  Fifth  Army,  under  the  Crown 
Prince,  crossed  Luxemburg  to  Arlon  and  attacked 
France  at  Longwy  and  Stenay,  aiming  at  Verdun. 
The  Sixth  Army,  under  Prince  Eupprecht  of  Ba- 
varia, backed  by  the  heavy  artillery  of  the  Metz 
garrison,  moved  across  Lorraine  against  the  Ver- 
dun-Toul  barrier,  to  menace  the  forts  and  aim  at 
the  gap  at  Nancy,  the  key  to  the  splendid  roads  along 
the  Marne  to  Paris.  The  Seventh  Army,  under  the 
veteran  von  Heeringen,  attacked  on  the  line  from 
Luneville  through  Baccarat  and  St.  Die.  The 
Eighth  Army,  under  Lieut.  Gen.  von  Deimling, 
moved  across  Alsace,  operating  through  the  Vosges. 
General  Joffre  has  been  criticized  severely  for 
reversing  the  importance  of  the  invading  armies. 
Facts  prove  that  he  did  nothing  of  the  kind.  Some 
experts  have  pointed  out  that  the  dictates  of  com- 

25 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 


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MAP  No.  1. — ^AREA  COVERED  DURING  THE  STRATEGIC  RETREAT, 

AND  DISPOSITION  OF  THE  OPPOSING  ARMIES, 

BATTLE  OF  THE  MARNE. 

To  gain  a  general  idea  of  Joffre's  strategic  retreat,  the  black 
line  shows  the  approximate  line  where  the  Field  armies  rallied 
after  they  were  thrown  back  to  the  French  frontier.  Move  the 
line  back  southwest  across  the  Meuse  until  it  touches  the  Verdun 
field  works.  Then  hinge  it  back  from  the  Fortress  until  the  left 
touches  the  environs  of  Paris,  and  the  area  of  the  retreat  will 
have  been  covered.  The  arrows  show  the  general  direction  of 
the  German  columns  as  they  unfolded  to  invade  France. 

Below,  the  relative  positions  of  the  opposing  armies  are  shown 
on  the  front  from  Paris  to  Verdun  and  on  the  east  front  to 
Nancy  on  the  eve  of  the  Marne  battle  described  in  Chapter  III. 


26 


ON  TO  FEANCE 

mon-sense  strategy  would  have  prepared  a  cam- 
paign based  on  a  great  effort  to  hold  the  Belgian 
Meuse  to  save  North  France.  But  Joffre  has  the 
gift  of  uncommon  sense.  Had  France  been  planning 
the  war,  her  preparations  might  have  been  made  in 
that  direction.  But  defense  has  been  France's 
watchword.  Her  policy  was  based  on  a  pathetic  be- 
lief that  Belgian  territory  was  inviolate,  and  to  the 
last  she  avoided  any  step  which  would  give  Germany 
an  excuse  to  trample  over  the  buffer  State.  The 
chief  French  armies  were  based  on  points  adjacent 
to  the  German  frontier,  and  fixed  plans  of  concentra- 
tion cannot  be  changed  over  night.  For  years 
prominent  Frenchmen  had  pleaded  that  the  northern 
frontier  should  be  fortified.  The  Committee  of  De- 
fense specifically  recommended  that  extensive  forts 
and  field  works  should  be  prepared,  and  garrisons 
maintained  between  Lille  and  Maubeuge,  and 
through  the  Ardennes  to  Longwy,  with  a  protected 
military  railroad  along  the  entire  Belgian  frontier. 
Prominent  statesmen  opposed  this  as  a  direct 
challenge  for  Germany  to  violate  Belgium. 

Recall,  also,  that  for  ten  years,  curiously  ignored 
in  Great  Britain  and  in  the  United  States,  pacific 
doctrines,  largely  socialistic,  prevailed  in  France, 
based  on  a  magnificent  gospel  of  international  broth- 
erhood. The  militarized  socialism  of  Germany  was 
reciprocated  in  France  by  a  genuine  policy  for  dis- 
armament and  universal  peace.  The  disciples  of 

27 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Jaures  shackled  every  reform  and  appropriation  for 
the  Army  or  Navy.  Each  measure  urged  for  na- 
tional defense  was  defeated  on  the  plea  that  it  would 
invite  aggression.  Farsighted  statesmen,  who  knew 
that  Germany  was  improving  her  artillery  and  mak- 
ing military  efficiency  a  religion,  were  cried  down. 
The  theory  of  French  pacifism  was  the  most  beauti- 
ful that  the  world  had  seen,  and  it  was  based  on 
sound  common  sense.  But  it  misunderstood  its  only 
menace — the  subtle  effect  of  national  achievement 
in  Germany  on  a  virile  and  military  people. 

The  sudden  crisis  which  developed  in  Morocco 
woke  France  from  a  trance.  It  checked  the  gospel 
of  Herve,  which  was  breaking  down  military  disci- 
pline in  the  Reserves,  and  converted  Briand,  Miller- 
and  and  Clemenceau.  At  once  they  reorganized  the 
Army  and  Navy,  and  restored  the  original  scope  of 
conscription  by  a  new  military  law.  But  to  the  last 
hour  the  pacifists  remained  true  to  the  idea  of  a 
federated  Europe  without  frontiers. 

Recalling  frank  threats  that  I  had  heard,  in  Cuba, 
Africa,  Finland  and  Siberia,  from  some  of  those 
skilled  soldier-commercials  who  develop  German 
trade  and  study  every  local  phase,  military  and  po- 
litical, through  the  world,  I  was  deeply  interested 
in  a  discussion  on  Belgium  between  American  and 
French  army  engineers  at  the  close  of  the  July  re- 
view in  Paris,  1913.  The  French  staff  had  evi- 
dently decided  that  their  preparation  along  the 

28 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

Eastern  frontier  would  tax  German  mobilization  so 
severely  that  it  would  not  pay  her  to  involve  Eng- 
land by  an  invasion  via  Belgium. 

Before  that  visit  to  Paris  closed,  we  were  to  hear 
the  band  of  the  Thirty-first  Eegiment  drowned  by 
the  fierce  tones  of  the  "  Internationale/'  with  cries 
of  "  Death  to  the  Army,"  as  the  regiment  crossed 
the  Belleville  District.  When  loyalists  started  the 
"  Marseillaise/'  the  crowd  threw  stones  and  a  fierce 
riot  resulted.  Thus  we  can  perhaps  compare  mili- 
tarism in  France  and  Germany  in  1913. 

In  May,  1914,  M.  Messimy,  after  great  opposition, 
did  manage  to  get  a  modified  bill  passed,  making 
three  inadequate  grants  for  northern  frontier  de- 
fense. Hisses  then  for  this  War  Minister,  now  a 
soldier.  Cries  also  of  "  Death  to  the  Army,"  and 
some  scuffling  in  July  when  Paris  again  became  an 
armed  camp.  Hisses  also  for  Joffre,  because  he 
forced  several  picturesque  old  generals  into  retire- 
ment for  failures  at  maneuvers.  And  two  weeks 
after  the  close  of  the  Quatorze  Juillet  had  again  de- 
mobilized and  scattered  thousands  of  France's  sol- 
diers, a  conclusive  proof  that  the  Republic  had  not 
dreamed  of  war,  a  huge  German  army  was  waiting 
for  the  bugle  to  march  on  France  via  Belgium  and 
the  open  frontier,  her  mobilization  far  greater  and 
more  rapid  than  France  or  the  world,  including  un- 
official Germany,  had  dreamed.  And  Jaures  was 
dead,  murdered  by  a  disciple  crazed  by  the  fear  that 

29 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

France  was  betrayed  by  the  pacific  leaders,  who  had 
accepted  too  literally  the  divine  command,  "  Love 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself. ' ' 

When  Belgium  was  invaded,  the  French  realized 
that  invasion  must  also  be  their  lot,  but  along  routes 
which  would  entail  long  lines  of  communication 
through  hostile  territory,  and  menaced  by  detached 
French  armies.  Paris  would  probably  face  a  siege ; 
but  to  besiege  the  capital  was  not  necessarily  to  take 
it.  There  were  no  forces  directly  available  to  de- 
fend Belgium  or  to  hold  the  north  frontier.  The 
Germans  had  Belgium  on  the  brain,  and  expected 
that  the  French  would  tangle  their  plan  of  concen- 
tration by  an  attempt  to  rush  their  armies  there,  and 
would  meet  defeat  in  the  process,  leaving  the  barrier 
forts  to  hold  their  own.  But,  though  German  siege 
artillery  surprised  the  world,  the  French  staff  was 
not  surprised.  Joffre,  therefore,  left  the  northern 
invaders  until  last,  making  his  strong  lines  of  de- 
fense doubly  sure  first,  and  throwing  the  flower  of 
his  army  over  the  German  frontier  as  a  counter 
stroke. 

A  strong  series  of  field  works  was  constructed 
facing  the  German  frontier,  to  keep  the  siege  guns 
from  shelling  the  barrier  forts.  Early  in  the  war 
these  lines  were  manned  and  secured.  This  frus- 
trated the  second  part  of  the  German  plan,  which 
aimed  to  isolate  and  crush  Verdun  with  heavy  ar- 
tillery while  a  way  was  battered  via  Nancy  at  the 

30 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

gap  between  Toul  and  Epinal,  to  open  a  direct  road 
and  railroad  from  Germany  to  France  by  which 
forces  could  pour  to  Paris,  and  attack  in  rear  the 
French  armies  sent  to  cope  with  the  huge  commands 
advancing  via  Belgium.  The  first  clash  of  patrols 
was  at  Delle  where  Andre  Peugeot  was  the  first 
French  soldier  killed  in  the  war. 

On  the  Eastern  front  the  regular  first  line  forces 
of  the  French  army  were  quartered,  the  actual 
armies  of  the  frontier.  At  Belf ort,  with  the  fortress 
garrison  under  General  Therenet,  was  the  Seventh 
Corps  under  General  Bonneau,  the  Alsace  frontier 
force.  The  First  Army  under  General  Dubail  (gar- 
rison troops,  two  divisions  of  Chasseurs  and  the 
Twenty-first  Corps),  was  based  on  Epinal  and 
guarded  the  approaches  through  the  Vosges  and 
along  the  frontier  to  Luneville.  The  Second  Army, 
General  de  Castelnau  (garrison  troops  and  the 
Ninth,  Fifteenth,  Sixteenth,  and  Twentieth  Corps), 
based  on  Toul,  included  some  of  the  finest  regiments 
in  France,  and  guarded  the  Lorraine  border  through 
Nancy  and  Toul  northward  toward  Verdun.  The 
Third  Army  (garrison  forces  and  the  Sixth  and 
Eighth  Corps),  reorganized  finally  under  General 
Sarrail,  was  based  on  Verdun,  and  covered  the  re- 
mainder of  the  German  frontier,  curving  along  the 
border  of  neutral  Luxemburg,  with  a  second  Corps 
de  Couverture  usually  garrisoned  at  Amiens. 

These  forces,  being  well  equipped,  were  soon 

31 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ready,  and  having  completed  the  barrier  outworks, 
the  much  criticized  offensive  in  Alsace  and  Lor- 
raine was  started,  an  ill-judged  invasion  of  Ger- 
many to  relieve  automatically  the  pressure  in  Bel- 
gium. These  brilliant  but  hazardous  attacks  had 
an  electrical  political  effect.  The  invasion  of  Al- 
sace took  Altkirch  and  led  to  the  temporary  capture 
of  Mulhausen.  But  these  forces,  which  were  to 
operate  along  the  Rhine  and  act  on  the  flank  of  the 
Second  Army  as  it  swept  across  Lorraine,  lost  touch. 
Being  faced  by  superior  artillery  and  attacked  in 
unfortunate  positions,  they  were  forced  to  fall  back 
on  the  Belfort  field  works  with  heavy  loss.  From 
tipper  Alsace  the  German  Army  from  Strasburg 
drove  across  the  frontier,  and  captured  Cirey,  Bad- 
onviller,  and  Baccarat,  where  the  civil  population 
suffered  terrible  indignities.  These  forces  were 
practically  dividing  the  First  and  Second  French 
Armies. 

In  Lorraine,  De  Castelnau,  sent  from  the  Head- 
quarters Staff  to  lead  the  splendid  Second  Army, 
had  advanced  over  a  wide  front  extending  from 
Luneville  to  Pont  a  Mousson.  Chateau  Salins  was 
captured,  and  Morhange  and  Dieuze,  while  the 
French  cavalry  swept  over  the  Saarburg  district. 
Everywhere  the  German  advance  guards  were 
driven  back  with  heavy  loss  before  the  impetuous 
attack  of  the  finest  soldiers  in  France. 

German  mobilization,  however,  had  been  amaz- 

32 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

ingly  rapid,  and  we  know  now  that  preliminaries 
were  secretly  started  directly  a  cloud  appeared  on 
the  horizon.  With  magnificent  effrontery,  while  de- 
manding that  Russia  demobilize,  her  own  active  as- 
sembling had  commenced  on  July  24.  While  Ger- 
man legions  were  sweeping  Belgium  clean,  De  Cas- 
telnau  in  Lorraine  was  entering  a  territory  admir- 
ably constituted  for  defense,  and  his  brilliant  ad- 
vance was  suddenly  checked.  After  he  had  swept 
over  the  Seille,  August  17,  capturing  many  guns  and 
prisoners,  his  army  was  confronted  by  superior  num-« 
bers  of  the  enemy  on  carefully  prepared  positions, 
backed  by  heavy  artillery  from  Metz.  His  field  guns 
were  outranged.  His  magnificent  cavalry  on  the 
flanks  was  everywhere  checked  by  armored  cars  and 
machine  guns.  Difficulties  of  transport  soon  ham- 
pered the  French,  now  facing  well  organized  forces 
based  on  two  of  the  strongest  fortifications  in  the 
world.  The  failure  and  retirement  of  the  army  in 
Alsace  had  uncovered  De  Castemau's  right  flank, 
and  his  command  was  soon  in  danger  of  envelopment 
from  the  south. 

After  terrific  fighting  for  three  days,  with  no 
means  of  locating  or  silencing  the  mass  of  heavy 
artillery  carefully  concealed  in  the  wooded  hills, 
three  successive  French  assaults  failed. 

Then  from  four  directions  the  Germans  launched 
counter  attacks  on  the  exhausted  invaders,  inflicting 
frightful  losses  and  capturing  many  guns.  Certain 

33 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

untried  southern  units  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps, 
well  led  by  the  gallant  Espinasse,  broke  under  the 
strain  at  Dieuze  and  imperiled  the  army.  In  some 
features  Bull  Run  affords  parallels,  notably  the 
magnificent  behavior  subsequently  of  the  default- 
ing units  from  the  Bouches  du  Rhone,  especially 
the  112th  that  broke  one  day  and  the  next  was 
decimated  in  a  glorious  and  voluntary  charge  at 
Coincourt,  where  they  drove  out  superior  forces 
of  the  enemy.  Henceforth  the  men  from  Marseilles 
and  Midi  fought  like  lions.  Checked,  flanked, 
and  short  of  ammunition,  on  August  20  rapid 
retirement  to  France  was  necessary  to  save  the 
army.  The  famous  Twentieth  Corps  was  left  to 
cover  the  retreat,  and  these  gallant  regiments  held 
off  the  Bavarian  army  for  two  days  and  nights  be- 
fore they  were  enveloped  and  one  division  practi- 
cally wiped  out. 

Flushed  with  victory,  the  Germans  crossed  the 
Lorraine  frontier,  and  swarmed  after  De  Castelnau 
over  the  border  departments.  Three  fresh  army 
corps  were  already  moving  up  on  his  flank  at  Lune- 
ville,  which  was  evacuated.  Fort  Manonvillers,  iso- 
lated, outranged  and  bombarded,  soon  capitulated. 
The  advanced  outposts  of  France  were  down.  But 
everywhere  the  French  rallied  on  their  new  defen- 
sive line.  Dubail's  left,  which  had  fallen  back 
from  Luneville,  now  stood  firm  on  the  prepared  front 
on  high  ground,  and  by  cooperation  with  the  Second 

34 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

Army  reserves  and  the  Toul  garrison,  brilliant  coun- 
ter attacks  were  delivered  simultaneously  south  and 
east  of  Nancy,  forcing  the  pursuing  Germans  to 
withdraw  and  consolidate.  This  enabled  De  Castel- 
nau  to  rally  and  establish  his  shaken  forces  along  the 
prepared  positions  on  the  Grande  Couronne  of 
Nancy,  and  the  wooded  heights  which  dominate  the 
roads  from  Chateau  Salins,  natural  barriers  on  the 
most  critical  point  along  the  Franco-German  fron- 
tier. 

In  jubilant  tones  the  German  official  reports  had 
spoken  of  the  crushing  defeat  of  De  Castelnau. 
The  capture  of  guns  and  generals,  with  spoils  from 
the  reverse  checked  by  the  Twentieth  Corps,  fos- 
tered their  belief.  But  De  Castelnau 's  forces  stood 
before  Nancy  like  a  rock  against  which  successive 
waves  of  assault  were  soon  breaking  in  vain.  No- 
where in  the  war  had  a  German  victory  seemed  more 
certain  or  so  suddenly  elusive.  Miles  of  Joffre's 
field  works  kept  the  heavy  artillery  from  the  main 
frontier  positions. 

North  of  Nancy  the  left  of  the  Second  Army,  aug- 
mented by  the  Toul  garrison,  now  withstood  tre- 
mendous pressure  from  Metz  at  the  point  where, 
with  some  success,  violent  efforts  were  made  to 
break  in  south  of  Verdun.  A  column  also  reached 
Spincourt  from  Metz,  only  fifteen  miles  northeast  of 
the  French  stronghold. 

North  of  Verdun  the  French  had  launched  a  third 

35 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

offensive  with  the  field  forces  of  the  Third  Army 
against  part  of  Wurttemberg  and  the  Crown 
Prince's  armies  marching  through  Belgian  Luxem- 
burg and  the  Grand  Duchy.  Here  again  early  suc- 
cesses as  at  Mangiennes,  where  guns  and  1,200  pris- 
oners were  taken,  led  the  troops  to  an  impetuous  ad- 
vance which  narrowly  escaped  disaster.  Near  Neuf- 
chateau,  though  the  Crown  Prince  had  blundered,  the 
Duke  of  Wurttemberg  caught  the  French  flank,  when 
the  front  was  facing  a  concentration  of  artillery  and 
machine  guns  which  inflicted  terrible  losses.  Again 
the  French  fell  back  rapidly  but  without  disorder, 
losing  some  prisoners,  and  sacrificing  a  strong  rear 
guard  and  its  artillery  to  cover  this  retirement. 

In  the  other  offensives,  except  for  the  political 
effect  of  the  invasion  of  the  lost  provinces,  great 
risks  were  taken  with  little  result,  and  the  armies 
could  have  been  more  wisely  employed  on  the  de- 
fensive lines  which  have  so  effectively  checked  the 
German  onslaught.  Every  nation  has  to  learn  by 
bitter  experience  the  difference  between  offense  and 
defense  under  modern  conditions,  Cuba,  South 
Africa  and  Manchuria  notwithstanding.  On  the 
Luxemburg  frontier,  however,  the  checked  offensive 
gained  important  strategic  results.  It  changed  the 
plans  of  the  impetuous  Crown  Prince,  and  dis- 
arranged his  cooperation  with  the  Duke  of  Wurttem- 
berg. But  the  army  corps  that  covered  the  French 
retirement  was  terribly  cut  up,  and  the  remnant,  in- 

36 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

eluding  its  highest  officers,  was  captured.  Here 
especially,  the  brilliance  of  the  French  uniforms  cost 
many  lives. 

Enraged  by  the  sight  of  their  first  dead,  some  of 
the  Crown  Prince's  soldiers  lost  their  heads,  and 
during  the  French  retreat  many  wounded  were  bay- 
oneted or  killed  with  rifle  butts  as  the  Germans  swept 
over  the  field.  Americans  with  the  French  Bed 
Cross  verify  this,  and  state  that  surgeons  and  their 
helpers  were  also  murdered.  Such  incidents  are  an 
illuminating  commentary  on  the  German  state  of 
mind.  The  ruthless  ferocity  is  not  merely  inherent 
brutality.  It  springs  from  a  spirit  of  unimaginative 
revenge  against  those  who  oppose  the  doctrine  of 
Divine  Germanic  Right,  which  is  the  source  of  the 
enemy's  great  strength,  and  greatest  weakness. 

The  advance  of  the  Crown  Prince  was  also  delayed 
by  the  amazing  defense  of  Longwy  by  Colonel 
d'Arche  and  an  insignificant  garrison.  Surprised 
when  the  war  started,  and  completely  invested,  this 
heroic  French  force  imposed  heavy  losses  on  their 
enemy,  and  held  out  from  August  3  to  August  27, 
and  in  those  twenty-four  days  the  town,  the  fortress 
and  garrison  were  obliterated.  The  defense  of 
Longwy  deserves  a  volume  to  itself.  It  helped  to 
save  Verdun,  and  Verdun  has  saved  France. 
D'Arche  was  able  to  do  more  than  some  of  the 
armies.  Thus  in  Belgium  and  France  the  first  three 
weeks  of  war  upset  all  calculations  on  both  sides. 

37 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

With  the  regular  lines  of  frontier  defense  com- 
pleted and  manned  (intrenched  positions  starting  on 
the  Swiss  border  and  ending  with  a  huge  perimeter 
of  outworks  around  Verdun),  and  while  the  First, 
Second  and  Third  Armies  were  carrying  out  their 
ill-fated  offensives  beyond,  mobilization  was  giving 
Joffre  forces  to  build  up  a  line  with  field  armies 
which  he  deployed  northwest  across  the  Belgian 
frontier,  to  meet  the  menace  of  the  huge  forces  gath- 
ering there  to  invade  France.  De  Castelnau  had 
extended  his  left  toward  Verdun,  where  the  garrison 
curved  round  the  position  and  formed  the  link  with 
the  basic  units  of  the  Third  Army  which  was  facing 
northeast.  General  Sarrail  took  command  when  its 
offensive  failed. 

At  Givet  the  Fifth  Army  had  gathered  on  the 
Meuse  under  its  senior  general,  soon  replaced  by 
General  d'Esperey.  This  force  was  moved  over 
westward,  and  the  Fourth  Army  (under  General 
Langle  de  Gary  was  built  up  between  its  right  and 
the  Third  Army.  These  field  armies,  a  total  of  ten 
corps,  were  composed  of  various  units  including  the 
Moroccan  and  two  Algerian  divisions  brought  up 
from  Africa  and  later  stiffened  by  the  splendid 
Ninth  and  Eighteenth  Corps.  Compared  to  their 
opponents,  they  were  skeleton  forces,  for  mistakes, 
confusion,  and  the  result  of  years  of  economy  in  les- 
ser equipment  had  retarded  the  mobilization  of  the 

38 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

French  Reserves,  though  the  work  was  more  efficient 
than  was  generally  expected. 

Every  German's  complete  equipment  was  assem- 
bled and  ready.  Thirty  minutes  after  muster,  re- 
serve regiments  could  fall  in,  in  heavy  marching  or- 
der. The  French  system  was  more  cumbersome. 
But  while  the  Belgians  were  closing  their  first  cam- 
paign, a  thin  French  line  was  extended  from  Verdun 
northwest  through  Charleroi,  along  the  Sambre, 
with  a  cavalry  division  operating  farther  in  Bel- 
gium. The  last  two  French  corps  only  reached  the 
front  on  August  19. 

The  British  regular  army,  which  had  landed  in 
France,  now  sent  up  two  army  corps  to  add  other 
sections  to  the  French  left,  extending  the  line  from 
Binche  west  of  Charleroi  through  Mons  to  Conde. 
Had  there  been  time  another  French  army,  the  Sixth, 
gathering  at  Amiens  and  Rouen,  would  have  come  up 
on  the  British  left,  carrying  the  line  toward  Lille, 
where  the  garrison  was  covering  important  roads 
from  Brussels  to  North  France. 

With  six  corps  on  a  war  footing  in  his  frontier 
armies,  Joffre  had  flung  them  forward  as  strategic 
advance  guards  to  engage  the  enemy  with  least  de- 
lay, to  force  the  development  of  their  forces,  to  deal 
swift  blows  and  then  retire,  fighting  delaying  ac- 
tions, with  rear-guard  tactics,  while  the  French  Re- 
serves were  mobilized.  But  French  strategy  was 
mainly  defensive.  German  mobilization  had  been 

39 


too  rapid  to  allow  these  plans  to  develop,  however. 
The  initial  cost  was  also  too  great.  And  the  line 
across  Belgium  was  inadequate  to  hold  the  front 
and  had  no  time  to  intrench. 

At  Dinant  on  August  15,  a  French  force  from 
Givet  had  surprised  and  driven  back  part  of  the 
Saxon  Army  which  was  the  first  pivot,  and  inactive 
while  the  armies  on  its  right  fought  and  changed 
front.  But  this  was  a  big  affair  of  outposts.  The 
third  week  of  the  war  was  closing  when  the  Kaiser, 
impatient  at  the  delays,  gave  the  word  from  the 
Grosses  Hauptquartier  for  a  general  assault  on 
France  by  all  the  armies  on  the  stupendous  front. 
The  army  in  Alsace  achieved  some  advantage,  until 
the  French  were  reorganized  under  the  one-armed 
hero,  Pau.  Eupprecht  of  Bavaria  rushed  his 
masses  forward,  after  the  capture  of  Luneville,  to 
achieve  failure  before  Nancy.  Above  Nancy  some 
ground  was  gained  and  a  wedge  driven  below  Ver- 
dun by  the  Metz  garrison  forces.  With  huge  losses, 
the  German  Kronprinz  hurled  the  Fifth  Army 
against  the  French  forces  above  Longwy  and  drove 
them  back,  though  the  fort  and  its  plucky  garrison 
continued  their  isolated  resistance. 

The  Wurttemberg  army  and  Saxon  forces  on  the 
right  were  now  closing  to  the  Meuse,  leaving  the 
French  Third  Army  to  retire  at  leisure.  But  west 
of  the  river  the  great  armies  of  von  Buelow  and  von 
Kluck  were  conducting  operations  more  imminently 

40 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

vital  to  the  fate  of  France.  If  Namur  could  have 
held  out  like  Liege,  there  might  still  have  been  time 
to  defend  the  river  adequately,  to  use  the  Meuse  and 
the  forts  as  a  wedge  to  divide  the  German  line.  Von 
Buelow  had  flung  his  Guards  at  Charleroi  on  August 
20,  and  for  three  days  the  African  contingents  had 
hotly  contested  its  possession.  While  the  British 
were  moving  into  place,  the  French  had  twice  fought 
their  way  back  to  be  expelled,  though  they  still  held 
grimly  to  the  outskirts.  And  there  could  be  no  gen- 
eral advance  from  Belgium  while  Namur  held.  But 
concentrated  artillery  fire  blew  huge  gaps  in  its 
outer  defenses,  enabling  German  and  Austrian  siege 
howitzers  to  close  in  on  the  main  fortifications,  which 
were  literally  blown  to  pieces  in  twelve  hours,  open- 
ing the  chief  barrier  to  the  north  frontier.  One  of 
the  most  famous  fortifications  in  Europe,  Namur, 
collapsed  like  a  stronghold  of  sand  just  as  von  Kluck 
was  free  to  march  south.  On  the  left  of  the  thin 
French  line,  on  the  Sambre,  the  Chasseurs  a  Pied, 
an  infantry  brigade,  the  Twenty-seventh  Dragoons 
and  a  few  field  batteries,  were  vainly  trying  to  hold 
the  river  against  the  Seventh  Army  Corps  and  the 
Twenty-fourth  Regiment  of  artillery  with  every 
abtheilung  concentrated  on  the  French  guns.  An 
ominous  gap  existed  also  between  the  French  and 
British. 

The  French  staff  had  greatly  underestimated  the 
number  of  German  troops  in  Belgium.    Not  only 

41 


•UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

were  all  the  reserve  corps  fully  mobilized  and  ready 
to  cooperate,  but  the  Ninth  Army,  including  effective 
forces  of  Landsturm  and  other  units,  had  reached 
the  front  by  August  20  to  encompass  the  Belgian 
army  in  the  Antwerp  district  and  to  garrison  the 
various  towns.  The  five  main  armies  therefore  had 
now  wheeled  into  line  and  closed  on  the  open  fron- 
tiers of  France  in  full  strength,  utterly  unaffected 
by  the  invasions  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine  and  enor- 
mously superior  to  the  Franco-British  field  forces 
opposing  them. 

In  Hainaut  province  are  the  only  clean  coal  dis- 
tricts in  the  world.  The  borains  were  chiefly  at  the 
front,  but  Mons,  the  neat,  if  ancient,  capital,  was 
spending  its  Sunday  quietly.  The  beautiful  caril- 
lon in  the  beffroi  marked  the  hour  of  special  services 
in  the  cathedral,  where  crowds  of  women  and  the 
aged  prayed  for  Belgium.  There  was  no  band  con- 
cert in  the  Grande  Place  August  23,  but  half  the 
town  was  there  discussing  the  war  news,  and  greatly 
excited  by  the  scouts  and  dispatch  riders  who  dashed 
through  the  streets.  For  many  anxious  days  the 
Belgians  had  endured  suspense.  Now  the  French 
had  come  up  and  the  British  army  was  arriving. 
The  citizens  argued  that  the  Germans  in  Brussels 
would  soon  be  wasting  their  time  before  impregnable 
Antwerp,  and  the  enemy,  if  they  succeeded  at  Na- 
mur,  would  pass  to  France  down  the  direct  roads 
there,  and  leave  them  unmolested. 

42 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

The  German  advance  cavalry  had  formed  a  screen 
of  reticence,  scores  of  suspects  were  executed,  and 
no  definite  news  had  come  through.  But  troops  by 
the  hundred  thousand  had  poured  into  Belgium,  and 
the  German  columns,  tireless  and  seemingly  endless, 
were  tramping  steadily  down  the  Route  de  Brunhilde 
where  Roman  legions  had  swarmed  before  them. 
And  by  every  other  road  to  France  the  dull  gray 
columns  now  moved  like  a  great  inundation. 

On  the  British  front,  on  Saturday  and  early  on 
Sunday,  as  the  troops  were  arriving,  reports  came 
in  which  indicated  that  only  two  German  army  corps 
with  cavalry  were  advancing  down  the  roads  from 
Brussels.  The  British  were  on  the  line  behind  the 
canal  from  Conde  through  Mons — and  eastward  to 
Binche  where  the  cavalry  division  kept  in  touch  east- 
ward with  the  French  at  Fontaine  toward  Charleroi. 
On  the  extreme  left  a  single  battalion  of  the  Scottish 
Black  Watch  guarded  the  road  to  Lille,  at  Tour- 
nai,  oldest  of  Belgium's  towns.  As  the  Third  Corps 
had  not  arrived,  the  British  had  no  reserves,  but  no 
general  attack  was  expected  while  Namur  held. 

The  British  regular  troops  in  Belgium  were  only 
one  brigade  more  than  four  infantry  divisions  of 
12,000  men,  with  the  regular  equipment  of  artillery 
and  engineers,  and  five  brigades  of  cavalry.  But 
they  were  highly  trained  professional  soldiers.  On 
the  British  right  two  regiments  had  just  arrived, 
tired  out  after  forced  marches  with  extra  ammuni- 

43 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

tion,  and  were  preparing  to  bivouac.  Other  troops 
were  coming  to  cement  the  line  with  the  French, 
when  patrols  came  in  to  report  that  heavy  columns 
were  moving  to  strike  between  the  British  and  the 
French  forces.  A  rain  of  shells  along  the  right  wing 
announced  an  advance  from  the  northeast. 

Aeroplanes  now  reported  that  both  the  armies  of 
von  Kluck  and  von  Buelow  were  advancing  in  force. 
Von  Kluck 's  right  had  moved  down  the  Lille  roads 
and  turned  southeast,  with  the  single  battalion  of 
the  Black  Watch,  their  two  machine  guns  and  one 
battery,  to  face  this  entire  wing  and  keep  it  from 
enveloping  the  British  left.  Thus  the  two  British 
army  corps  were  to  face  the  entire  First  German 
Army,  while  the  right  of  the  Second  Army  was  aim- 
ing at  their  flank  and  had  moved  between  them  and 
the  French.  Under  a  terrific  shelling  the  newly 
arrived  battalions  on  the  British  right,  the  Royal 
Irish  and  the  Suffolks,  extended,  scratched  a  light 
trench  under  fire,  and  poured  volleys  into  the  massed 
columns  of  Germans,  which  advanced  as  steadily  as 
on  parade  and  came  within  a  few  yards  of  the  Brit- 
ish lines  before  they  were  broken,  and  retired.  The 
British  cavalry  then  charged  but  were  soon  checked 
by  machine  guns,  as  a  second  wave  of  gray  advanced 
against  withering  volleys  until  pitchforked  back  by 
British  bayonets.  At  five  o'clock  news  came  that 
Namur  had  fallen  the  night  before  and  that  the 
French  armies  had  retired  over  the  Sambre. 

44 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

Diverting  his  cavalry  and  one  corps  to  work  round 
the  British  left  flank  and  cut  off  retreat,  von  Kluck 
now  brought  his  main  columns  against  the  center 
and  left  of  the  greatly  outnumbered  British,  and  by 
sunset  the  entire  line  was  hotly  engaged  facing  a 
concentration  of  600  guns.  The  outposts  stood  like 
a  rock  beyond  the  Mons  canal,  and  the  battery  which 
supported  them  lost  all  its  gunners  before  the  ad- 
vance fell  back,  dragging  the  guns  by  hand.  The 
engineers  then  blew  up  the  bridges. 

From  Tournai,  the  Scotch  battalion  on  the  flank, 
sending  futile  appeals  for  help,  held  out  grimly  until 
their  ammunition  gave  out,  and  after  dark  a  few 
survivors  escaped,  the  battalion  having  been  over- 
whelmed and  annihilated.  With  the  French  retire- 
ment on  the  right,  both  British  flanks  were  now  ex- 
posed, and  although  urgent  orders  were  sent  to  the 
garrison  at  Lille  to  move  out  to  cover  the  left,  alarm- 
ing cavalry  screens  on  the  direct  Lille  roads  led 
General  Percin  to  hold  his  forces  to  protect  the  city. 
For  this  course  he  has  been  severely  disciplined, 
since  it  menaced  the  safety  of  the  entire  line.  As 
Uhlans  actually  rode  into  Eoubaix,  the  general  de- 
serves great  sympathy. 

To  clear  its  flank  the  British  right  had  now  fallen 
back  to  higher  ground,  holding  stubbornly  to  every 
scrap  of  cover,  and  inflicting  heavy  losses  as  it  re- 
tired. But  the  Second  Corps  was  unable  to  con- 
form. Searchlights  lit  up  their  lines,  and  it  was 

45 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

nearly  daybreak,  after  several  charges  by  Fergus- 
son's  cavalry,  before  the  exhausted  left  could  dis- 
engage itself  and  fall  back,  cutting  its  way  through 
hostile  cavalry  in  the  rear. 

Von  Kluck,  von  Buelow,  von  Hausen  and  the  Duke 
of  Wurttemberg  were  all  striking  in  force  at  the 
Allied  line  across  south  Belgium.  Strong  columns 
had  poured  across  the  famous  industrial  district  of 
La  Centre  down  the  roads  to  Binche,  Fontaine  and 
Charleroi,  still  partly  held  by  the  African  troops. 
The  French  line  had  made  a  gallant  stand  all  Satur- 
day night,  but  the  Fifth  French  Army  was  then  weak 
in  artillery  and  unwilling  to  intrench  to  lose  mobil- 
ity. As  the  attack  was  developed  it  was  forced  back 
steadily  between  Charleroi  and  the  Meuse,  facing  the 
heaviest  losses  in  the  war.  Below  Namur,  near  Di- 
nant,  the  French  had  held  their  own  through  Satur- 
day and  Sunday,  though  the  Germans  were  pouring 
across  the  Meuse  at  Huy.  Wurttemberg  and  Saxon 
armies  drove  at  the  thin  French  line  and  in  repeated 
blows  forced  a  retirement  of  the  Fourth  Army  across 
the  river.  Here  fierce  fighting  took  place  near  the 
old  trap  or  iron  of  Sedan,  but  with  French  batteries 
on  the  heights  inflicting  a  heavy  toll  where  German 
guns  forty-six  years  before  had  crushed  the  French. 
Thirty-three  massive  bridges  on  the  Meuse  south 
of  Namur,  were  defended  by  French  guns  and 
mitrailleuses,  and  for  each  the  Germans  faced  heavy 
losses,  only  to  have  the  structures  blown  up  suc- 

46 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

cessively  as  their  masses  gained  possession.  And  at 
all  these  points  the  enraged  invaders  sought  revenge 
on  the  civil  population,  and  gave  no  quarter  to  de- 
voted detachments  cut  off  across  the  river.  Superior 
in  numbers  and  organization,  however,  and  with  in- 
numerable pontoon  trains,  the  avalanche  of  gray 
moved  steadily  across  the  Meuse  Valley,  pushing  the 
French  back  southwest. 

Further  west  artillery  finally  drove  the  French 
from  the  slag  heaps  south  of  Charleroi.  For  three 
hours  one  force  made  a  desperate  stand  at  the  canal 
bridge  before  the  railway  station,  but  was  finally 
shelled  out,  and  the  line  had  to  retire  through  Mar- 
chiennes,  Landelis  and  Montignies.  Eepulse  fol- 
lowed repulse.  After  very  heavy  fighting  on  the 
Semois  River  and  in  the  Ardennes,  by  Sunday  night 
the  sadly  mixed  field  armies,  greatly  outnumbered, 
were  holding  a  very  irregular  front  back  in  France 
again,  partly  through  a  lack  of  trained  coordination 
of  units  in  the  overwhelming  onslaught. 

The  stupendous  and  complete  mobilization  of  the 
German  army,  and  its  concentration  at  every  neces- 
sary point  were  feats  beyond  the  range  of  conjec- 
ture. In  the  Spanish  War,  two  months  of  hostilities 
found  only  Shafter's  army,  equaling  a  single  Euro- 
pean division,  and  poorly  equipped,  ready  for  serv- 
ice. Three  weeks  of  this  war  saw  Belgium  over- 
whelmed, and  the  German  army,  replete  in  detail 
from  the  siege  trains  down  to  licorice  to  prevent 

47 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

\ 

patrols  from  coughing,  with  every  preliminary  fin- 
ished, taking  a  vigorous  offensive  entirely  on  alien 
soil.  Eliminating  the  help  of  the  Belgians  and  Brit- 
ish, the  first  German  plan  could  not  have  failed. 
Von  Kluck  had  four  active  and  one  reserve  corps 
and  special  divisions  of  cavalry;  von  Buelow,  the 
Guard  Corps  and  two  active  and  two  reserve  corps 
and  siege  trains ;  von  Hausen,  three  corps,  a  total  of 
600,000  men  and  2,000  guns.  In  the  center  two 
armies  with  eight  corps  were  closing  in  on  open 
France  east  of  Givet,  and  eight  corps  and  spe- 
cial artillery  were  also  over  the  Franco-German 
frontier. 

This  critical  August  Sunday  proved  an  anxious 
day  for  Joffre.  His  Intelligence  Department  tardily 
announced  the  general  advance  of  von  Kluck  and 
von  Buelow,  in  far  greater  force  than  he  had  antici- 
pated. News  of  the  sudden  fall  of  Namur  had 
opened  the  day.  His  offensives  everywhere  were 
breaking  down.  The  retirement  of  the  French  lines 
on  the  Sambre  and  the  loss  of  Charleroi  were  re- 
ported, with  the  news  of  checks  or  serious  reverses 
from  Dinant  to  Neufchateau,  and  nothing  but  dis- 
couragement from  De  Castelnau  and  along  the  en- 
tire eastern  front.  In  Alsace,  Mulhausen  had  been 
evacuated.  Joffre  was  forced  to  advise  the  British 
to  retire  to  conform  with  the  Fifth  Army,  which 
had  fallen  back  through  Beaumont,  its  left  toward 
Maubeuge. 

48 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

When  the  British  had  retired  fighting  into  France 
to  the  line  Valenciennes-Maubeuge,  the  left  practi- 
cally enveloped,  the  French  Com m ander-in-Chief  had 
to  think  and  act  quickly.  He  might  order  a  des- 
perate stand  along  the  north  frontier,  a  hazardous 
attempt  to  save  France,  or  he  could  sacrifice  valu- 
able territory  by  drawing  back  the  lines  to  more  fa- 
vorable positions,  and  thus  keep  his  forces  intact. 
This  was  the  great  principle  of  French  strategy  al- 
ways. Verdun  must  be  held  at  all  costs,  and  the 
flank  of  the  barrier  forts  protected.  But  he  ordered 
the  field  armies  to  pivot  back  steadily,  their  right  on 
the  fortress,  their  front  unbroken.  For  a  rough  idea 
set  a  clock  at  five  minutes  to  five,  call  the  hour  hand 
the  barrier  forts,  Verdun  the  center.  Now  move  the 
large  hand,  the  field  armies,  back  to  between  eight 
and  nine,  Paris,  and  you  cover  the  strategic  retreat 
from  Belgium  to  the  Marne. 

Pouring  around  the  British  left,  von  Kluck  vainly 
strove  to  crumple  the  line  against  Maubeuge  and  von 
Buelow.  Envelopment,  as  of  Bazaine  in  1870,  was 
averted  only  by  fierce  British  and  French  cavalry 
charges,  and  the  retirement  was  resumed. 

Withdrawal  was  humiliating,  but  Germany's  "  de- 
fensive "  war  was  the  advance  of  a  marvelous  mili- 
tary machine,  geared  entirely  for  the  offensive. 
Horse,  foot  and  guns  were  perfectly  equipped  and 
trained,  an  army  stiffened  with  thousands  of  ma- 
chine guns,  preceded  by  a  cloud  of  aeroplanes,  backed 

49 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

by  heavy  artillery  of  unprecedented  mobility  and 
power  and  intrenching  machines,  followed  by  field 
kitchens  in  hundreds,  wireless  outfits,  field  observa- 
tories, motor  and  horse  transport,  and  effective  am- 
munition trains. 

The  Allied  line  swung  back  across  the  districts  all 
tourists  know  so  well.  The  British  right  under 
Haig,  fighting  a  rear-guard  action,  fell  back  through 
the  Mormal  Forest,  the  heavily  involved  left  con- 
forming more  slowly.  Late  on  the  25th  the  reserve 
division  was  rushed  from  the  coast  and  a  determined 
stand  was  made  on  the  road  from  Cambrai  through 
Le  Gateau  to  Landrecies,  where  the  narrow  streets 
ran  with  blood  and  were  choked  with  dead  and 
wounded.  Stiff  fighting  developed  also  at  Solesmes, 
where  an  infantry  division  was  enveloped  and  cut  its 
way  out.  The  Guard  Cavalry  caught  the  British 
Twelfth  Brigade,  and  its  mad  charge  was  broken 
only  at  the  muzzles  of  the  rifles  on  the  reserve  line. 

Tired  when  the  running  battle  opened,  the  British 
fought  from  midday  of  the  21st  through  the  night, 
without  food  or  rest,  retiring  eighteen  miles.  With 
only  emergency  rations  they  fought  the  second  day 
and  through  the  second  night,  and  retired  fighting 
twenty-six  miles.  Then  without  respite  they  fought 
again  and  retired  thirty  miles  to  the  Somme.  But 
Sordet's  cavalry,  by  forced  marches,  now  helped  the 
British  left ;  and  from  Amiens  General  d  'Amade  and 
the  Seventh  Corps  reserves  had  moved  eastward  and 

50 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

checked  the  flanking  cavalry,  giving  the  exhausted 
British  time  to  drop  in  their  tracks  and  snatch  a  few 
hours'  sleep  between  Peronne  and  St.  Quentin,  and 
then  reorganize  their  broken  and  mixed  formations, 
after  four  days  and  nights  of  battle. 

At  Maubeuge  von  Buelow  left  his  heavy  artil- 
lery and  reserve  divisions  to  reduce  the  fortress. 
Here  the  British  and  French  had  detached  single 
battalions  to  reenf orce  the  garrison,  which  made  an 
heroic  defense  and  held  out  until  September  7,  when 
the  heavy  howitzers,  their  concrete  foundations 
treacherously  ready,  pounded  the  citadel  and  forts 
to  pieces,  suffocating  most  of  the  garrison.  With 
hundreds  insane  from  their  frightful  experiences, 
many  complaints  have  been  made  of  their  treatment 
by  the  survivors.  The  daughter  of  the  Prince  de 
Polignac,  who  fought  in  the  Civil  War,  wife  of  the 
artist  and  socialist,  Count  de  Chabannes,  and  a  com- 
poser of  note,  heroically  endured  the  siege,  attend- 
ing the  wounded.  For  some  reason  this  talented 
lady  was  held  a  close  prisoner  by  the  Germans,  and 
wounded  survivors  sent  to  Torgau  bitterly  com- 
plained of  the  severity  and  intolerance  of  their  Ee- 
servist  jailer,  Professor  Brandes,  the  naturalist. 

Bight  along  the  line,  the  Germans  continued  to 
force  the  Allies  back.  A  firm  stand  was  made  on  a 
line  north  of  Fourmes,  by  the  First  and  Third  Corps, 
Fifth  French  Army.  At  Guise  also  this  army,  re- 
enforced,  fought  back  brilliantly,  relieving  heavy 

51 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

pressure  on  the  British  forces  retiring  from  St. 
Quentiu,  and  luring  the  Guard  Corps  close  to 
screened  batteries  which  drove  them  back  and  defi- 
nitely checked  pursuit  for  three  days.  The  Third 
Army  struck  the  forces  of  the  Crown  Prince  heavily 
northeast  of  Verdun  and  again  on  the  Meuse,  with- 
drawing across  the  river  and  conforming  to  the  line 
unmolested. 

The  end  of  August  found  the  Allies  approaching 
the  celebrated  La  Fere-Laon-Rheims  barrier,  with  a 
few  obsolete  forts  and  no  preparations  for  defense. 
Here,  if  anywhere,  the  world  expected  Joffre  to  make 
a  stand,  if  Paris  was  to  be  saved.  To  the  French 
Commander,  the  safety  of  his  army  was  his  first  con- 
sideration. While  the  Wurttemberg  forces  had  coun- 
termarched wastefully  to  conform  to  the  antics  of  the 
Crown  Prince,  who  was  still  making  blunders  north 
of  Verdun,  von  Hausen,  with  the  three  Saxon  Corps 
and  cavalry  of  the  Third  Army,  had  pushed  south  in 
an  amazing  march,  a  wedge  which  got  between  and 
threatened  the  flanks  of  the  Fourth  and  Fifth  French 
Armies,  when  both  were  engaged.  He  soon  crossed 
the  Aisne  near  Chateau  Porcien  below  which  Eheims 
was  the  prize,  and  von  Buelow  with  five  corps  was 
approaching  Laon,  invaluable  as  a  railroad  junc- 
tion in  German  hands.  Their  advance  hurried  the 
French  to  the  line  where  they  expected  to  stand. 

But  von  Kluck  had  now  marched  his  five  corps 
across  open  ground  below  Compiegne;  his  cavalry 

52 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

corps  had  already  swept  across  the  Oise  through 
Senlis.  The  left  of  the  Allies  was  again  in  grave 
danger,  and  von  Kluck  was  rapidly  moving  his 
army  around  the  flank  to  cut  off  effectively  the  lines 
from  Paris.  Eetreat  was  again  imperative.  A 
splendid  natural  line  of  defense  had  to  be  aban- 
doned. Eheims  was  lost,  and  the  direct  roads  to 
Paris  were  unrecovered,  while  the  Allied  field 
armies  fell  back  to  a  front  resting  on  Bray,  Nu- 
gent, Arcis  sur  Aube,  Vitry,  Bar  le  Due  and  Ver- 
dun. Their  left  was  on  the  Paris  defenses;  the 
line  extended  due  east  with  the  right  wing  curved 
sharply  north  and  hinged  on  the  fortress.  The  line 
had  been  bent  in  and  distended  where  the  Fourth  and 
Fifth  German  Armies  had  pushed  south  between 
Vouziers  and  the  Meuse,  passing  west  of  the  fort- 
ress, through  the  Argonne. 

Von  Kluck 's  advance  had  been  magnificent.  By 
forced  marches,  occupying  all  the  towns  en  route,  in- 
cluding beautiful  Amiens,  he  had  given  the  Allies  no 
rest.  His  forces  had  been  generally  humane  in 
France,  except  at  Senlis,  where  the  rue  de  la  Be- 
publique  was  destroyed.  Many  priceless  treasures 
were  also  taken  from  the  Museum,  and  some  citizens 
were  executed  because  one  crazed  patriot,  in  full 
view,  fired  a  shot. 

During  this  tedious  retreat  the  Germans  had  also 
suffered.  At  inviting  positions  along  the  front  the 
Allies  would  make  apparent  stands  which  sent  the 

53 


•UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

systematic  Germans  through  all  their  textbook  for- 
mulae of  battle.  At  the  final  stages  the  assaults 
proved  the  enemy  to  be  mobile  units,  horse  artillery, 
machine  guns  in  motors,  and  cavalry  acting  as  in- 
fantry, all  of  which  melted  up  side  roads  and  over- 
took the  main  bodies  whose  retirement  they  were 
covering.  On  the  Aisne,  the  British  and  French 
destroyed  the  bridges  and  inflicted  heavy  losses  on 
the  Germans  as  they  erected  and  crossed  on  pon- 
toons. The  British  left  finally  rested  at  Lagny  on 
the  eastern  section  of  the  Paris  defenses,  the  Ger- 
mans halting  on  the  Marne. 

Paris  had  vigorously  prepared  for  a  siege.  The 
guns  could  be  heard  from  the  suburbs,  and  the  gov- 
ernment had  moved  to  Bordeaux.  The  labor  unions 
had  contributed  5,000  exempts  to  help  the  garrison, 
and  men  of  every  class  seized  axes  and  shovels  until 
at  the  outworks  a  circle  of  trenches,  ramparts  and 
barbed  wire,  60  miles  across  and  200  miles  in  extent, 
surrounded  the  city,  to  avoid  the  close  investment  of 
1870.  Beautiful  suburbs  were  razed  to  clear  artil- 
lery ranges,  a  light  railroad  joined  the  important  de- 
fenses, and  in  the  perimeter  droves  of  cattle  and 
sheep  were  gathered.  General  Gallieni  had  a  field 
garrison  of  200,000  men.  But  the  Germans  consid- 
ered Paris  theirs.  The  American  Embassy  in  Ber- 
lin was  especially  consulted  in  regard  to  a  plan  to 
enable  Americans  to  leave  en  masse  when  the  city 
was  captured. 

54 


ON  TO  FRANCE 

On  September  3,  Joffre,  deciding  to  bring  the 
German  line  over  the  Marne,  instructed  the  British 
to  change  front  by  retiring  twelve  miles,  and  the 
Fifth  Army  also  retired  from  the  Marne  to  the  Seine 
Valley.  Completely  misled  by  this  further  with- 
drawal, von  Kluck  moved  his  Second  Corps  and 
Fourth  Reserve  Corps  to  the  Ourcq,  and  turned  his 
main  columns  southeast  along  the  roads  through 
Meaux  to  break  up  the  left  of  the  "  retreating  " 
armies  and  cut  them  definitely  off  from  the  capital, 
which  would  then  be  open  for  his  reserves  and  the 
siege  guns  already  en  route,  to  start  investment. 
With  the  armies  cut  off  from  her  aid,  and  with  the 
lessons  of  Liege  and  Namur,  the  Germans  gave 
Paris  a  week  to  withstand  the  howitzers.  Their 
forces  poured  over  the  Marne  in  triumph,  facing 
heavy  losses  in  crossing,  but  lured  to  overconfidence 
by  the  fact  that  the  Allies  were  abandoning  the  river 
and  the  final  line  that  could  defend  the  capital. 
Where  now  could  the  forces  stand?  For  the  second 
time  every  German  army  on  the  vast  front  united 
for  a  combined  offensive.  This  time  they  were  con- 
fident of  a  crushing  decision.  And  von  Kluck,  ig- 
noring the  " shattered'*  British,  was  making  an 
oblique  march  across  their  front,  closing  in  to  drive, 
like  a  battering-ram,  at  the  weak  link  between  them 
and  the  French  left,  to  crumple  D'Esperey's  flank 
eastward  when  the  frontal  attack  was  delivered 
against  this  Fifth  Army  by  von  Buelow  and  superior 

55 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

forces.  Before  von  Kluck's  columns  had  cleared  the 
river,  the  British  had  closed  over  eastward,  their 
right  solidly  in  touch  with  the  Fifth  French  Army. 
On  this  day  German  cavalry  were  at  Gonesse,  eight 
miles  from  Paris,  a  part  of  the  widely  extended 
mounted  forces  led  by  von  Marwitz. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

WE  must  not  forget  that  all  the  armies  engaged 
in  France  were  playing  their  part  in  one  stupendous 
battle.  This  is  generally  overlooked.  The  action 
of  all  the  forces  involved  in  the  first  and  second 
phases  of  the  German  offensives  was  coordinate. 
Glancing  along  the  line  from  Switzerland  north, 
around  Verdun,  and  west  to  Paris,  the  first  week  of 
September  found  the  stage  set  for  what  seemed  to 
promise  a  triumph  for  the  German  armies  as  they 
were  readjusted  for  a  general  attack.  In  Alsace, 
though  the  French  had  again  occupied  Mulhausen 
where  the  son  of  Dreyfus  was  promoted  for  gal- 
lantry, the  special  field  army  was  recalled  August  28, 
and  sent  to  strengthen  the  French  center,  leaving 
the  Belf ort  command  to  hold  its  defensive  lines  from 
the  Swiss  frontier  over  the  Thann  district,  through 
the  Vosges,  across  the  approaches  to  Colmar.  Gen- 
eral Dubail  and  the  First  Army  fought  stubborn 
battles  with  the  Seventh  Germany  Army,  now  oc- 
cupying the  ruins  of  St.  Die  and  other  frontier  towns 
along  the  Meurthe,  and  aiming  at  Toul  through 
Charmes,  where  the  French  could  not  be  shaken. 

57 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

On  Dubail's  left,  De  Castelnau  was  holding  the 
Second  French  Army  firmly  around  Nancy  from 
Rosieres  west  of  Luneville  north  toward  Verdun,  as- 
sailed first  from  the  south,  east  and  northeast,  and 
then  from  the  north,  where  the  garrison  army  from 
Metz  had  driven  the  wedge  from  Pont  a  Mousson 
across  the  Moselle  toward  the  Meuse  between  Ver- 
dun and  Nancy.  Flushed  by  early  successes,  eager 
to  play  his  part  in  the  brilliant  work  of  the  armies 
sweeping  across  France,  the  Crown  Prince  of  Ba- 
varia had  attempted  to  force  the  famous  Trouee  of 
Mirecourt,  south  of  Nancy,  feinting  also  along  the 
front,  and  moving  strong  columns  well  north  of  the 
city  along  the  roads  running  from  Metz  to  Toul. 
Covering  a  rough  semicircle,  these  forces  invited  re- 
prisal against  their  right  center.  De  Castelnau  led 
his  regiments  from  the  heights  into  the  valley,  struck 
hard  before  Amance  and  drove  the  Bavarians  back 
to  the  frontier.  But  the  importance  of  holding  the 
defensive  barrier  intact,  the  menace  to  his  flank  from 
Luneville,  and  the  presence  of  many  heavy  batteries 
which  were  pushed  out  from  Metz  toward  Pont  a 
Mousson,  demanded  caution.  De  Castelnau,  there- 
fore, recalled  his  forces  when  they  had  practically 
broken  through  the  Bavarian  front,  and  not  without 
mutterings  from  men  high  in  command,  placed  his 
splendid  corps  back  on  the  strong  position  extending 
from  Pont  a  Mousson  across  the  plateau  of  Amance, 
along  the  Grand  Couronne,  curving  before  the  city 

58 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

and  circling  south  over  the  lower  wooded  hills  of 
Ore  vie  and  Vitrimont,  to  join  the  left  of  the  First 
Army,  a  front  of  twenty-five  miles. 

With  effective  preparation,  the  Bavarians  now 
brought  up  380  siege  guns,  and,  while  the  Marne 
fighting  developed,  they  opened  September  with  a 
terrific  bombardment  of  the  main  position  before 
Nancy,  which  was  continued  for  eight  nights  and 
days.  The  French  improvised  carriages  for  a  few 
position-guns  from  Toul,  but  they  could  do  little  to 
meet  this  concentrated  fire.  They  held  their  ground, 
however,  and  cleverly  screened  their  outclassed  .75 's 
to  check  massed  attacks,  which  were  soon  aimed  at 
various  points  of  the  position. 

Heavy  shelling  finally  blew  the  outer  French  posi- 
tions to  pieces.  Outlying  defensive  villages  were 
stormed  and  heavy  forces  pushed  down  the  main 
Nancy  road  to  Champenoux,  and  deployed  in  the 
woods  close  to  the  foot  of  the  plateau  of  Amance,  the 
main  defense  northeast  of  the  city.  Then  Pont  a 
Mousson  fell,  and  the  heavy  artillery  from  Metz 
closed  in  on  the  north.  De  Castelnau  had  also  been 
obliged  to  lose  Foch  and  some  of  his  finest  troops  to 
strengthen  the  French  center  below  Rheims,  just  as 
the  Germans  pushed  in  round  Amance.  On  Septem- 
ber 7,  coincident  with  the  combined  assault  on  the 
other  fronts,  the  final  attack  on  Nancy  was  started. 

Attacking  at  every  point,  the  strongest  section  of 
the  assault  was  delivered  against  the  heights  of 

59 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Amance,  and  the  French  were  driven  from  their 
trenches  along  the  foot  of  the  plateau.  All  night 
the  guns  thundered  while  the  French  reserved  their 
ammunition,  enduring  heavy  losses  from  the  concen- 
trated artillery.  On  September  8  successive  masses 
of  twelve  picked  battalions  formed  in  the  woods  be- 
fore Amance,  to  storm  the  shaken  final  lines  on  the 
hill.  Not  a  shot  was  fired  as  they  advanced  with 
bands  playing.  "  Fire  when  the  first  line  is  at  two 
hundred  yards,"  was  the  order  in  the  silent  French 
trenches  where  every  gun  and  rifle  was  ready,  and 
glasses  showed  crack  cavalry  waiting  on  the  main 
road  from  Chateau  Salins,  a  mass  of  white  and  sil- 
ver. The  Guard  Cuirassiers  were  in  full  dress ;  the 
Kaiser  was  waiting  for  the  signal  for  a  state  entry 
to  Nancy. 

The  Emperor  had  planned  to  lead  his  victorious 
troops,  by  the  triumphal  arch  of  Stanislas,  to  the 
Place  Carriere,  to  impress  the  captured  populace  by 
a  review  down  Le  Pepiniere,  with  headquarters  at 
the  Governor's  palace.  But  with  their  batteries 
pushed  well  over  the  Moselle  on  the  north,  and  an 
incredible  burst  of  heavy  shells  along  the  east  front 
to  pave  the  way,  mass  after  mass  of  devoted  German 
infantry  were  going  to  their  death  in  a  futile  effort 
to  wrest  the  final  victory  under  the  eyes  of  their  Em- 
peror. Line  after  line  was  shot  to  pieces  when  the 
trenches  on  the  Amance  slopes  broke  their  silence. 
Masses  of  Bavarians  went  boldly  over  the  Bois  de 

60 


A  GERMAN  COLUMN  MARCHING  TO  DEFEAT  AT  NANCY  UNDER  THE 
KAISER'S  EYE 


Ax  OCCUPIED  VILLAGE  SHELLED  BY  FRENCH  GUNS,  WHICH  HAVE 
RESPECTED  THE  CHURCH 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

Crevic,  entire  regiments  of  Saxons  disappeared 
down  the  wooded  slopes  of  the  Moselle  Valley,  and 
only  wounded  men  that  were  humanely  dragged 
from  the  barbed  wire  by  the  French  could  tell  the 
story.  The  defenders  stood  like  a  rock  on  their 
main  position. 

More  than  4,000  dead  lay  before  the  Amance  sec- 
tion alone,  when  the  Kaiser  drove  sadly  and  silently 
away  just  as  news  of  checks  to  five  other  armies 
reached  him.  The  French  had  lost  heavily  also,  but 
they  had  saved  the  gate  to  France,  and  a  week  later 
the  Germans  retired  to  their  own  frontier.  Success 
would  have  entailed  the  loss  of  Toul  and  Verdun, 
breached  the  frontier  barrier,  and  opened  a  direct 
road  from  Germany  to  take  in  rear  the  French 
armies  along  the  Marne  line  facing  north. 

On  the  east  front,  though  part  of  the  First  and 
Second  French  Armies  had  sacrificed  fifty  per  cent 
of  their  strength  in  the  terrific  fighting  of  French 
Lorraine,  few  details  beyond  terse  official  dispatches 
have  appeared  in  the  American  press,  and  from 
German  sources  there  has  been  an  ominous  silence. 
Yet  here  were  fought  the  greatest  battles  of  the  first 
campaign,  and  the  heavy  forests  of  French  Lorraine 
cover  the  horrors  of  its  first  stages  of  primeval 
ferocity. 

With  the  army  from  Metz  checked  along  the  lines 
north  of  Nancy,  and  held  off  by  forces  on  the  sector 
southeast  of  Verdun,  the  Germans  maintained  a 

61 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

strip  between  the  two  which  entered  France  like  a 
wedge  along  the  Valley  of  the  Rupt  de  Mad  across 
the  Moselle  toward  the  Meuse  at  St.  Milhiel,  aiming 
at  Fort  Troyon,  which  endured  a  terrific  bombard- 
ment for  weeks,  though  the  garrison  clung  to  the  out- 
works and  refused  eight  offers  for  capitulation. 

With  the  Bavarians  continuing  the  line  above  this 
wedge,  along  the  east  front  to  Verdun,  with  outposts 
circling  ineffectively  round  the  north  of  the  fortress, 
facing  the  big  loop  of  defenses  manned  by  the  gar- 
rison, the  parallel  fronts  of  the  rival  armies  were 
continued  southwest  of  the  fortress,  where  Sarrail 
with  the  Third  Army  was  opposing  the  forces  of  the 
German  Crown  Prince.  The  defense  of  Longwy, 
lasting  a  week  after  Namur's  fall,  had  released 
the  other  German  armies,  had  led  to  some  reckless 
infantry  assaults,  and  much  criticism  of  the  royal 
general's  tactics.  Moving  picture  cameras  have 
faithfully  recorded  every  branch  of  this  spectacular 
soldier 's  direction  of  battles.  For  the  film  he  regu- 
lated the  fire  of  field  batteries,  and  led  a  stirring 
advance  of  Hussars,  considerately  pulling  in  his 
charger  if  its  impatience  led  it  out  of  focus,  forget- 
ting that  even  an  actor-general  would  sometimes 
look  toward  the  enemy  instead  of  posing.  I  saw 
this  official  Lichtspiel  recently  with  privileged  neu- 
trals in  Holland,  who  inconsiderately  roared  with 
laughter  at  the  postures  of  this  vulpine-faced  prince, 
who  seems  to  have  inherited  little  of  the  ability  of 

62 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

the  Kaiser.  The  brain  of  his  army  has  been  Count 
von  Haeseler,  the  famous  cavalry  leader  of  1870. 

The  German  Embassy  in  Washington  issued  a  dis- 
patch on  August  25  announcing  that  the  Crown 
Prince  had  ''decisively  defeated"  "five"  French 
Army  Corps,  and  that  he  now  definitely  stated  that 
the  "French  were  unable  to  face  the  terrific  fire  of 
German  infantry."  As  the  defeat  at  Neuf chateau 
was  inflicted  by  the  help  of  the  troops  of  Albrecht  of 
Wurttemberg,  it  is  evident  that  Sarrail's  masterly 
change  of  front  at  Verdun  had  completely  misled  the 
Crown  Prince  to  the  claim  of  a  decisive  victory. 
When  the  army  of  His  Imperial  Highness  had  oblit- 
erated Longwy,  with  its  single  battalion  and  obsolete 
forts,  and  had  looted  the  frontier  district,  shooting 
the  insolent  civilians  who  objected,  it  crossed  the 
Meuse,  eager  and  anxious  to  earn  more  tangible 
laurels. 

After  the  failure  of  the  offensive  toward  Luxem- 
burg, Sarrail  had  taken  command  of  the  Third 
French  Army.  Without  heavy  artillery,  the  field 
guns  of  the  Thirtieth  Artillery  regiment  had  coolly 
faced  the  superior  batteries  of  the  Crown  Prince  as 
the  French  forces  withdrew  and  moved  west  of  the 
Meuse,  to  form  line  with  the  other  Field  Armies. 
On  the  Chiers,  then  crossing  the  river  at  Dun,  deal- 
ing swift  blows  and  retiring  rapidly, -by  August  28 
the  Third  Army  was  able  to  regain  touch  with  the 
Fourth  Army  on  its  left,  which  was  reforming  on  the 

63 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

line  Buzancy-Bouvellemont  after  dealing  two  blows 
which  checked  the  Wurttemberg  forces.  These 
armies  now  had  to  conform  with  the  Allied  left  in 
the  general  retirement  already  described,  and  Sar- 
rail  soon  had  to  face  the  difficult  task  of  keeping  his 
right  firmly  on  the  Verdun  field  works,  while  his  left 
retained  touch  with  the  other  armies  as  the  line 
pivoted  back  to  Paris.  He  formed  the  hinge  and, 
as  the  extreme  left  was  forced  back  rapidly,  he  was 
obliged  to  retire  at  an  acute  angle  through  Varennes, 
Clermont  and  Vaubecourt  before  the  Crown  Prince. 

Sarrail  could  not  risk  a  decision,  so  he  engaged  the 
Crown  Prince  chiefly  with  field  artillery,  and  side- 
stepped before  the  efforts  to  turn  his  left,  which 
lured  the  main  columns  through  the  Argonne  forest 
too  quickly  for  the  heavier  German  guns  to  keep  up. 
The  situation  was  dangerous,  however,  for  while  it 
relieved  direct  pressure  on  the  Verdun  garrison,  and 
brought  the  whole  Fifth  Army  too  far  south  to  retain 
touch  with  the  Bavarians  on  the  semicircle  of  de- 
fenses above  the  fortress,  Sarrail 's  line  was  pivoting 
back  ominously  near  the  Meuse,  and  he  had  only 
two  corps  to  deploy  on  his  widening  front,  against 
any  point  of  which  the  Crown  Prince  could  deliver 
strong  blows  from  his  army,  the  Sixteenth,  Eight- 
eenth and  Twenty-first  Corps  and  special  units. 

Recall  also  that  the  Metz  forces  from  the  east 
front  were  driving  in  a  wedge  westward  between 
Verdun  and  Toul,  toward  the  Meuse,  its  apex  point- 

64 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

ing  toward  Sarrail 's  rear  across  the  river.  If  the 
Crown  Prince  could  break  through  the  line,  he  could 
join  hands  across  the  Meuse  with  the  Metz  forces 
and  isolate  Verdun  and  all  the  French  forces  above 
the  junction.  For  a  short  time  he  had  three  280 
guns  firing  over  Sarrail  at  Troyon,  when  it  was 
crumbling  from  the  artillery  of  the  Metz  forces  on 
the  other  side.  This  was  the  basis  for  the  claim 
that  Verdun  was  surrounded  and  the  Verdun-Toul 
barrier  breached.  But  overconfidence  led  the  Crown 
Prince  to  develop  his  attack  as  far  south  as  Revigny, 
where  the  French  left  suddenly  stood  firm.  Sarrail 
was  now  facing  west,  his  right  wing  resting  along 
the  Meuse  heights,  fighting  back  to  back  with  De 
Castelnau's  left  on  the  east  front.  Linked  by  the 
Verdun  garrison  these  forces  formed  the  lower  sides 
of  a  huge  inverted  "U"  round  the  fortress,  De  Cas- 
telnau  fighting  the  Bavarians  who  faced  west,  while 
Sarrail  was  engaging  the  Fifth  Army  which  faced 
east,  the  Verdun  position  extending  like  a  huge 
peninsula  of  tangled  field  works  and  defenses  be- 
tween them.  Sarrail 's  elastic  left  was  now  resting 
near  Bar  le  Due,  thirty  miles  below  Verdun,  where 
the  Allied  line  curved  and  continued  directly  west, 
with  Du  Gary  and  the  Fourth  Army  stretched  below 
the  Marne  Valley  opposing  the  Duke  of  Wurttem- 
berg's  forces,  which  passing  through  Vouziers  had 
pushed  it  through  Suippes  and  west  of  Chalons  and 
then  to  Vitry,  twenty  miles  farther  south.  Continu- 

65 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ing  west  the  Fifth  French  Army  was  also  well  over 
the  Marne,  retiring  far  below  Epernay,  facing  north, 
but  too  widely  deployed  to  more  than  check  von  Bue- 
low,  and  uncertain  of  von  Hausen,  who  had  swept 
below  Rheims  and  Epernay  and  was  consolidating, 
ready  to  smash  through  the  line  east  of  von  Buelow 
and  roll  up  the  flanks  when  the  final  attack  was  de- 
livered. The  British  were  facing  von  Kluck,  well 
on  the  left  of  the  Fifth  Army. 

Extending  along  the  rear  of  these  forces,  via  the 
south  fork,  the  main  road  from  Paris  across  Seine 
et  Marne  to  Nancy,  gave  J  off  re  splendid  communi- 
cations to  rearrange  his  field  forces  on  a  more  solid 
front,  while  the  second  great  German  attack  was  pre- 
paring. He  closed  up  Langle  de  Gary  and  the 
Fourth  Army  eastward  through  Vitry  toward  Bar  le 
Due,  to  strengthen  the  curving  junction  with  the 
Third  Army  at  which  the  Crown  Prince  was  aiming. 
This  made  room  for  General  Foch  and  the  newly  cre- 
ated Ninth  Army  to  form  on  the  left,  from  Mailly  to 
near  Sezanne,  west  of  which  D'Esperey's  Fifth 
Army  consolidated  before  Esternay  to  Courtagon. 
The  British  army,  its  Third  Corps  now  completed, 
closed  in  and  carried  the  compact  line  west  to  the 
Forest  of  Crecy,  south  of  Meaux,  and  a  few  miles 
from  Paris.  Conneau's  famous  cavalry  was  on  the 
Provins  road  where  the  French  joined  the  British. 
This  front  between  Verdun  and  Paris  covered  prac- 
tically 150  miles.  (See  Map  I,  page  26.) 

66 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

The  Grosse  Generalstab  made  the  initial  error  of 
under-valuation.  Berlin  jubilantly  announced  that 
the  Marne  was  ' 'forced"  and  that  the  " fleeing  and 
shattered  field  armies"  of  the  Allies  had  been  over- 
taken and  would  be  forced  to  fight.  The  entire  Ger- 
man line  prepared  to  deliver  a  crushing  blow,  every 
army  cooperating,  entirely  ignorant  of  the  rapid 
consolidation  effected  after  their  air  reconnaissance. 

A  terrific  bombardment  along  the  line  on  Septem- 
ber 5  evoked  a  mild  response  from  the  Allies.  On 
September  7  the  general  assault  started.  Along  the 
eastern  front,  notably  at  Nancy  as  shown,  the  French 
stood  fast.  On  the  north  front  the  Crown  Prince, 
losing  touch  on  both  flanks  in  the  Argonne,  drove  in 
force  at  Sarrail's  line,  to  break  through  well  below 
Verdun,  and  isolate  the  fortress,  by  making  a  junc- 
tion with  the  point  of  the  wedge  driven  in  from  the 
eastern  front.  This  attack  failed.  Everywhere  the 
Allies  now  held  their  ground.  Attempting  to  co- 
operate with  the  Crown  Prince,  the  Duke  of  Wurt- 
temberg  attacked  westward  from  the  curve  where 
Sarrail's  left  joined  De  Gary's  Fourth  Army,  and 
was  definitely  checked  at  Vitry. 

The  Ninth  Army,  and  the  right  and  center  of  the 
Fifth  Army  also  stood  firmly,  September  7,  as  the 
Saxons  and  von  Buelow  started  their  crushing  at- 
tack from  a  line  from  Chalons  westward  through 
Vertus,  Etages  and  Champaubert,  the  moment  that 
von  Kluck's  advance  guard  clashed  with  the  left  of 

67 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  French  above  Esternay,  where  his  forces  were 
to  smash  through  to  cut  off  the  armies  from  Paris, 
and  crumple  up  the  flank  of  the  heavily  engaged  line 
eastward,  while  his  Keserves  watched  the  capital 
and  the  British.  It  was  an  arrogant  plan  in  which 
the  tables  were  completely  turned  on  the  First  Ger- 
man Army. 

The  nucleus  of  the  Sixth  Army  under  D'Amade, 
its  chief  units  still  uncompleted  or  in  Paris,  had  re- 
tired through  Amiens  to  the  railroad  from  Eouen. 
As  von  Kluck  wheeled  his  army  northeast  above 
Paris,  advancing  down  roads  which  led  to  what  re- 
connoissance  had  reported  as  a  vulnerable  gap  but 
across  which  the  British  were  now  closing  up  solidly 
to  the  left  of  the  Fifth  Army,  5,000  taxicabs  rushed 
regiments  from  the  capital  northward.  With  its 
original  components,  which  marched  nearly  forty 
miles  to  a  battle  of  six  days  and  nights,  the  Sixth 
Army  was  completed  by  magic,  September  5,  on  a 
front  from  near  Meaux  up  the  main  road  to  Ermen- 
onville,  through  St.  Soupplets,  at  right  angles  to  the 
main  line.  Composed  of  two  corps  supplemented 
by  five  Reserve  divisions,  a  Moorish  brigade  and  a 
division  of  cavalry,  this  army  under  Maunoury 
moved  eastward  against  the  German  flank  Septem- 
ber 6.  The  first  shot  was  fired  as  it  struck  twelve 
noon. 

Next  day  von  Kluck  discovered  that  he  was  march- 
ing into  a  trap.  His  Second  Cavalry  Division  was 

68 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

in  column  on  the  Coulommiers  Eoad,  his  Ninth 
Mounted  Division  skirting  the  Crecy  forest  due  south 
of  Meaux.  His  infantry  were  pushing  south,  well 
east  of  these  flank  screens;  the  Ninth  Corps  at  Re- 
bais,  the  Third  and  Seventh  on  the  Petit  Morin  at 
Montmirail,  and  his  wagon  trains  pouring  across 
the  Marne  near  Meaux.  He  first  detached  heavy 
reinforcements  to  his  Reserve  Corps  on  the  Ourcq 
to  hold  off  Maunoury's  threat  of  envelopment  from 
the  west.  Suddenly  he  found  that  the  British  and 
the  left  of  the  Fifth  Army,  were  marching  north,  and 
forcing  him  to  battle  far  from  the  ground  he  had 
chosen.  His  forces  were  in  the  wide-opened  jaw  of 
the  Allies — the  Sixth  Army,  the  upper  maxillary, 
the  British  and  some  French  units,  the  lower. 
Opened  at  right  angles  the  jaws  were  starting  to 
close  on  a  hinge  near  Meaux.  Hesitation  would 
have  meant  envelopment  and  defeat.  His  pontoon 
bridges  gave  him  a  clear  path  back  northward.  The 
Reserves,  who  had  behaved  shamefully  to  women 
during  their  halt  while  Maunoury's  surprise  devel- 
oped unheeded  on  the  Ourcq,  received  reenforce- 
ments  and  fought  strenuously  to  keep  the  upper  jaw 
from  closing.  But  the  Allied  forces,  which  were 
moving  north,  flung  von  Kluck's  main  army  back 
over  the  Morin,  and  he  wheeled  his  columns  in  pre- 
cipitate retreat  to  the  Marne. 

At  Meaux,  the  angle  of  the  Allied  forces,  a  strong 
rear  guard  of  all  arms  intrenched,  to  enable  von 

69 


Kluck  to  get  his  impedimenta  clear  of  the  river. 
French  batteries  covered  charge  after  charge  of 
Zouaves  and  Turcos,  and  the  German  artillery  re- 
tired at  a  gallop.  At  bay,  the  infantry  resisted  with 
desperation,  and  the  French  Colonials  fought  also 
almost  to  extermination  to  clear  the  road  for  pur- 
suit. Farther  west,  the  Germans  stood  along  the 
Marne,  but  were  driven  back  across  the  river  with 
heavy  loss  by  the  British.  They  destroyed  their 
bridges  but  General  French's  army  made  light  pon- 
toons, crossed  under  fire,  and  again  drove  the  enemy 
north. 

The  corps  of  the  Fifth  Army  had  now  wheeled  to 
attack  von  Buelow's  uncovered  flank,  but  the  jaws, 
still  wide  open,  were  following  von  Kluck  relent- 
lessly, as  on  the  Ourcq  Maunoury  was  facing  east 
and  maintaining  the  pace  north.  Once  clear  of  the 
Marne  the  British  advanced  rapidly,  smashing  rear 
guards  at  every  vantage  point.  Their  left  was  soon 
on  the  flank  of  the  forces  facing  Maunoury,  and 
von  Kluck 's  entire  army  broke  north  on  the 
10th,  leaving  valuable  transport,  2,192  prisoners, 
and  thirteen  guns  to  the  British  credit  during  the 
day. 

The  French  cavalry  made  daring  raids  along  the 
western  line  of  retreat,  harrying  transport  and 
capturing  much  ammunition.  On  the  night  of  the 
9th,  after  the  German  aeroplanes  had  flown  north  to 
park,  a  squadron  of  Dragoons  decided  to  put  out 

70 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

the  "eyes  of  the  army."  They  located  the  park  in 
a  field  off  the  main  road  beyond  Viviers,  and  two 
pelotons  dismounted  and  crept  up,  but  met  a  with- 
ering machine-gun  fire.  The  two  remaining  pelotons 
charged  the  guns,  losing  only  eight  horses  and  three 
men.  Led  by  the  sergeant  fourrier,  the  troopers 
with  axes  smashed  nine  Taubes,  broke  the  valves  of 
five  armored  cars,  and  lit  the  petrol.  As  the  fire 
stampeded  their  horses  and  brought  hostile  cavalry 
up,  only  ten  of  the  French  troopers  survived,  hiding 
in  the  forest  while  von  Kluck's  forces  retreated  and 
Maunoury's  army  swept  across  the  Villiers  Cot- 
terets. 

This  raid  blinded  the  tired  German  columns  as 
they  retreated.  Overtaxed  when  the  running  battle 
started,  the  troops  made  forced  marches  of  forty 
kilometers.  Men  died  of  exhaustion  and  laggards 
were  shot  as  examples.  Many  regiments  had  only 
one  hour 's  sleep  for  three  consecutive  nights.  In  a 
dozen  towns  and  villages  I  heard  the  same  story  — 
of  horses  lashed  to  top  speed,  of  delaying  actions 
overwhelmed  by  the  relentless  pursuit,  and  prisoners 
too  exhausted  to  be  moved.  The  trails  were  blazed 
by  abandoned  wagons,  stalled  motor  transport  and 
field  bakeries  with  the  bread  in  cinders. 

But  Nature  first,  and  then  Fate,  was  kind.  The 
Marne  gave  von  Kluck  time  to  organize  his  retreat. 
The  Ourcq  paralleled  and  protected  the  most  dan- 
gerous line  of  his  withdrawal  up  the  Meaux-Soissons 

71 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

roads.  Then  the  Aisne  ran  right  across  the  line 
of  retreat,  with  serried  plateaux  on  the  north  bank, 
Nature's  gift  of  fortresses  and  moat  well  rebridged 
on  the  roads  down  which  the  German  legions  had 
swept  southward. 

As  he  approached  the  Aisne  von  Kluck  turned 
some  of  his  forces  northwest  through  Betz  toward 
Nanteuil,  to  spread  above  the  French  flank  and  re- 
cover the  important  roads  down  which  his  right  had 
advanced.  He  gave  the  French  a  severe  check.  But 
he  was  unable  to  get  west  of  the  Noyon  road,  though 
his  maneuver  caused  the  rectangular  formation  of 
the  Allies  to  open  wider  and  they  approached  the 
Aisne  almost  in  line,  as  he  got  his  exhausted  main 
forces  over  the  river. 

Leaving  rear  guards  on  the  south  bank  on  Mont 
de  Paris  near  Soissons,  and  on  hills  on  all  other 
roads,  he  deployed  his  army  along  the  heights,  his 
right  near  Compiegne,  his  left  directly  below  Laon, 
and  stood  at  bay.  Now  Fate  was  kind.  With  his 
western  communications  barely  covered,  and  much 
artillery  and  material  lost,  diverted  or  tumbled  into 
rivers  to  prevent  capture,  von  Kluck  at  Laon  could 
tap  von  Buelow's  communications.  As  Maubeuge 
had  fallen  on  the  7th,  the  siege  guns,  intrenching  ma- 
chines, pioneers  and  reserve  ammunition  for  use 
against  Paris,  had  reached  the  city  a  few  hours  be- 
fore he  crossed  the  Aisne.  Thus  he  had  important 
help  to  intrench  and  wire  his  new  front,  and  he  could 

72 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

use  the  reserve  ammunition  of  the  Second  Army  to 
hold  the  Aisne  heights. 

The  British  smashed  the  rear  guards  on  the  south 
bank  late  on  September  12,  to  find  their  quarry  at 
bay  in  a  splendid  position  across  the  river,  the  tails 
of  the  columns  toiling  up  the  height  as  a  target  to 
the  first  batteries,  which  received  the  fire  of  siege 
guns  in  reply.  While  the  right  of  the  Sixth  French 
Army  captured  Mont  de  Paris  and  regained 
Soissons,  the  British  without  a  pause  started  to 
cross  the  river  against  heights  in  parts  like  the 
Palisades. 

Heavy  German  artillery  and  machine  guns  swept 
the  approaches,  smashing  pontoons  and  destroying 
the  engineer  detachments.  But  the  First  Division 
on  the  right  fought  its  way  across  the  aqueduct  at 
Bourg.  Other  forces  crossed  by  rafts  and  pontoons 
under  heavy  fire  during  the  night,  and  drove  the  ma- 
chine guns  back  to  the  hills.  By  sunset  on  the  13th, 
after  heavy  loss,  the  British  army  had  crossed  the 
Aisne  and,  in  a  battle  in  which  the  lessons  of  South 
Africa  bore  splendid  fruit,  the  men  fought  their  way 
up  the  steep  plateau  and  established  themselves 
along  the  irregular  crest,  driving  the  Germans  to  the 
backbone  of  the  position  in  the  teeth  of  vigorous 
attempts  made  to  hurl  them  from  the  edge  to  the 
river  below.  It  was  a  stupendous  feat  of  arms. 

The  French  army  on  the  left  after  desperate  fight- 
ing also  forced  a  passage  at  Fontenoy  and  Vic,  push- 

73 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ing  the  enemy's  right  wing  back  toward  the  Coucy- 
Noyon  road.  But  above  Soissons  the  Allied  center 
was  checked  by  a  maze  of  German  owned  quarries, 
constructed  so  that  they  could  be  made  formidable 
fortresses  in  a  few  hours,  wth  gun  emplacements 
ready. 

With  disaster  on  their  right  the  other  German 
armies  all  paid  the  penalty  of  overconfidence.  We 
left  von  Buelow,  von  Hausen,  the  Duke  of  Wurttem- 
berg  and  the  Crown  Prince  striking  together  at  the 
Fifth,  Ninth,  and  Third,  Fourth,  French  Armies. 
Bheims  was  a  prize,  and  Epernay  and  Chalons  were 
among  their  spoils  for  a  week,  when  the  citizens  ex- 
ercised restraint  with  ropes  at  the  necks  of  the 
mayors,  M.  Pol  Eoger,  whose  brands  we  know,  and 
M.  Servas.  Vast  stores  of  luxuries  and  valuables 
rewarded  the  systematic  looting  of  these  rich  depart- 
ments, while  the  forces  were  consolidated  below 
them  for  the  decisive  attack  across  the  compara- 
tively open  country  between  Montmarail  and  the 
Argonne.  The  French  everywhere  were  on  posi- 
tions vastly  inferior  to  those  evacuated  during  their 
strategic  retreat. 

For  three  days  the  armies  were  locked  in  a  stub- 
born battle  on  a  line  south  of  the  main  road  from 
Paris  via  Sezanne  and  Vitry  to  Bar  le  Due.  With 
the  Eighteenth  disengaged  from  chasing  von  Kluck, 
D'Esperey  was  able  to  turn  it  against  von  Buelow 's 
exposed  flank  and  smash  it  over  the  Marne,  garner- 

74 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

ing  much  spoil.  But  his  right,  and  the  left  of  the 
Ninth  Army,  had  been  forced  to  give  ground  before 
the  left  of  the  Second  German  Army  consolidated 
to  wedge  at  a  weak  spot  detected  east  of  Sezanne. 
On  Foch's  right  and  De  Gary's  left,  the  Saxon  and 
Wurttemberg  Corps  also  pushed  back  the  French  be- 
low Mailly  where  the  ground  was  impassable,  and 
only  the  arrival  of  reinforcements  from  both  Alsace 
and  Lorraine  saved  the  bulges  from  breaking. 

Helped  by  the  splendid  Lorraine  Corps  that  he 
had  commanded  and  trained,  Foch,  who  was  fighting 
three  distinct  engagements  near  Sezanne,  snatched 
a  double  victory  by  an  operation  which  in  detail  will 
form  an  interesting  chapter  in  new  textbooks.  Von 
Buelow's  Guard  Corps,  unable  to  pierce  Foch's 
center  on  a  ridge  and  protected  by  the  St.  Gond 
marshes,  left  a  covering  line  there,  and  moved  over 
to  join  the  Saxons  in  smashing  his  right.  With  left 
and  right  wings  both  driven  far  back,  Foch  turned 
his  well  advanced  center  westward,  and  fell  on  the 
flank  of  the  enemy  there,  retaking  the  Chateau  de 
Mondement.  His  left  now  rallied,  a  maneuver  the 
enemy  was  forced  to  withdraw  before.  Then  by 
night  he  faced  his  center  from  west  to  east,  attacked 
the  flank  of  the  eager  Guards  and  Saxons  pounding 
his  right  wing,  and  forced  them  to  fall  back.  Vic- 
tory was  thus  snatched  from  impending  disaster  at 
Fere  Champeniose  by  Foch's  superb  genius,  which 
here  broke  the  persistent  theory  of  envelopment  by 

75 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

mass  on  both  wings,  which  marked  the  strategy  of 
the  German  generals. 

As  the  Guard  fell  back  in  confusion  through  the 
swamps  of  St.  Gond,  Foch's  artillery  in  the  center 
smashed  the  retreat  to  a  rout.  Von  Buelow,  Guards 
and  Saxons  were  now  defeated,  and  by  September 
10  were  retiring  full  speed  to  the  Marne,  leaving 
General  von  Schack  and  many  other  wounded  officers 
on  the  field.  One  Guard  regiment  had  five  officers 
left  out  of  sixty. 

The  discouraged  citizens  of  Epernay,  scraping 
their  francs  to  pay  their  last  crushing  fine,  heard  a 
rumbling  and  rushed  out  to  see  the  German  forces 
pouring  through  the  city  in  flight.  Von  Buelow  and 
von  Hausen  marched  rapidly  north,  with  the  French 
so  closely  at  their  heels  that  the  rear  guards  left 
on  the  Marne  were  overwhelmed  before  they  could 
prepare  to  stand.  Closely  pursued  by  the  Fifth  and 
Ninth  Armies,  these  forces  attempted  to  rally  on 
the  hills  below  Bheims,  but  the  French  troops  had 
tasted  victory  and  attacked  so  rapidly  that  the  Ger- 
man batteries  retired  at  a  gallop.  Bheims,  the  best 
prize  of  the  war,  was  lost,  and  the  Second  and  Third 
Armies  in  full  retreat  poured  past  the  city  and 
reached  the  fortified  barrier  line,  five  miles  north, 
where  they  rallied  and  intrenched.  With  his  center 
on  the  hills  above  Bheims,  von  Buelow 's  right  was 
bent  back  northwest  along  the  road  to  Laon,  to  the 
Aisne,  resting  on  the  Craonne  plateau,  leaving  a 

76 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

wide  vulnerable  gap  to  von  Kluck.  His  left,  east  of 
Eheims,  was  deployed  on  the  fortified  heights  of 
Berru  and  Nogent,  the  Saxons  continuing  the  line 
across  the  Moronvillers  plateau,  protecting  the 
upper  railroad  across  the  Champagne. 

During  these  kaleidoscopic  operations,  the  Fourth 
and  Third  French  Armies  had  played  their  special 
part.  The  Duke  of  Wurttemberg  had  essayed  the 
double  role  of  joining  the  frontal  attack,  and  watch- 
ing the  flank  of  the  Crown  Prince.  During  the 
operations  already  recorded,  De  Cary  threw  the  re- 
enforced  Fourth  Army  vigorously  at  the  forces  of 
the  Grand  Duke  at  Sompuis.  The  fight  raged 
fiercely  until  the  collapse  of  von  Hausen  (who  was 
unjustly  made  the  scapegoat  for  the  Guard  defeat 
and  summarily  retired).  This  left  Wurttemberg 's 
right  flank  in  the  air.  This  Fourth  German  Army 
was  pressing  De  Cary  hard.  His  line  had  been 
saved  by  the  arrival  of  a  corps  sent  from  the  Vosges 
on  the  9th.  But  he  now  drove  at  the  exposed  right, 
retook  Cermaize  and  broke  the  Nineteenth  Corps. 
This  wing  was  forced  to  retreat  along  the  old  Cha- 
lons road,  and  was  heavily  shelled.  There  was  dan- 
ger now  that  the  Wurttemberg  army  might  be 
pushed  back  northeast  along  the  few  main  roads  that 
led  to  the  Argonne,  already  cluttered  by  the  Crown 
Prince 's  wagons,  so  the  entire  line  had  to  disengage 
and  retire  north  along  poor  roads,  east  of  Chalons, 
which  was  so  hurriedly  abandoned  that  stores  of 

77 


French  military  equipment  were  left  there  un- 
touched. 

The  confusion  of  the  Wurttembergers  was  in- 
creased when  their  right  reached  the  great  maneuver 
ground  of  the  French  army.  Every  range  was 
known  on  terrain  so  familiar  to  all  French  troops, 
and  despite  its  heavy  losses  the  Fourth  Army  with 
its  guns  and  cavalry  kept  the  Germans  at  the  double 
as  they  retreated  across  Champagne  and  conformed 
to  the  line  of  the  Saxons  and  von  Buelow. 

Having  definitely  cleared  their  front,  the  victori- 
ous French  troops  rapidly  reformed  for  their  inde- 
pendent role.  Though  quite  out  of  touch  with  Foch 
and  with  his  flank  open,  De  Gary  recalled  the  bulk 
of  his  forces,  and  in  echelon  pushed  his  army  vigor- 
ously at  the  now  exposed  flank  of  the  army  of  the 
Crown  Prince.  The  entire  German  front  had  col- 
lapsed section  by  section,  like  a  house  of  cards. 

Recall  that  the  Fifth  German  Army,  pushing 
south,  had  bent  Sarrail  back  sharply  from  Verdun, 
until  he  was  at  right  angles  to  the  general  French 
line  and  facing  west.  De  Gary's  rapid  change  of 
front  eastward  soon  left  the  Crown  Prince  impo- 
tent in  a  "V,"  and  with  more  cavalry  the  French 
could  have  surrounded  him.  He  tried  first  to  smash 
through  so  as  to  reach  the  apex  of  the  wedge  driven 
in  from  the  east  front,  and  cut  his  way  out.  Re- 
pulsed,  he  turned  in  precipitate  retreat,  losing  heav- 
ily as  he  escaped  from  the  cul-de-sac  in  which  he  was 

78 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

incased  through  his  own  blunders.  Granting  the 
difficulties  of  the  region,  the  strategy  and  tactics  of 
the  army  led  by  the  Kaiser's  son  were  pathetic, 
though  German  history  will  no  doubt  be  charitable 
and  partial.  Eapid  marching,  and  terrain  difficult 
for  French  artillery,  alone  saved  his  army,  which 
fell  back  to  Varennes  and  Montfaucon  though 
the  pursuit  ended  near  Clermont,  the  French  being 
utterly  exhausted.  He  had  thus  lost  the  railway  and 
roads  across  the  Argonne  to  Verdun  and  the  Third 
and  Fourth  French  Armies  were  consolidated  on  a 
shortened  and  straightened  front  north  and  west 
of  the  fortress. 

Eagerly  fresh  German  forces  advanced  down  the 
salient  from  Metz,  pointed  east,  south  of  Verdun. 
Beaumont  was  captured,  and  Troyon  again  was  bom- 
barded and  tottering.  But  no  effort  now  could  reach 
the  Crown  Prince.  On  September  23  the  Germans 
did  reach  the  Meuse  from  the  east.  St.  Mihiel  was 
captured,  and  a  vigorous  lunge  was  made  at  the 
rear  of  Sarrail's  line.  He  coolly  detached  his  cav- 
alry corps  held  in  reserve,  and  by  a  surprise  drove 
back  the  invaders  as  they  debouched.  Forces  from 
Nancy  also  came  over  and  ended  the  danger.  But 
the  Germans  maintained  their  grip  on  St.  Mihiel, 
the  point  of  a  veritable  thorn  in  the  side  of  France, 
which  enormous  efforts  have  failed  to  expel.  Yet 
below  this  wedge  when  the  Germans  rushed  reen- 
forcements  to  help  hold  the  Aisne,  the  First  and 

79 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Second  French  Armies  advanced  on  the  front  from 
Nancy  to  Belfort,  and  drove  the  enemy  back  to  the 
frontier. 

On  September  8  privileged  neutrals  had  been  taken 
to  the  Crown  Prince 's  headquarters  to  see  his  drive 
triumph.  A  visitor  pointed,  on  the  way,  to  Domremy, 
Jeanne  d 'Arc's  birthplace,  southwest  of  Toul.  The 
German  artillery  was  pouring  shells  on  the  patient 
French  lines,  and  the  Staff  was  in  high  spirits. 
"Our  guns  will  soon  be  too  noisy  for  angels'  whis- 
pers in  the  Chenus,"  jeered  one.  "There  will  be 
spirits  enough  there  for  all  the  Joans!"  added  an- 
other. "And  a  much  alive  zug  for  every  girl  too!" 
laughed  a  third.  The  Crown  Prince  was  silent. 
Nancy  was  to  fall  that  day,  and  there  was  no  news 
from  his  father.  Neither  had  the  Trouee  of 
Charmes  been  forced.  So  Domremy  would  hear  no 
guns,  for  her  sons  with  Dubail  had  not  failed.  For 
days  the  girls  in  the  famous  school  by  Joan's  cot- 
tage had  prayed,  "Save  France!"  Then  they 
learned  that  a  cheering  Vosges  corps  had  been 
rallied  near  the  village,  able  to  go  back  to  help  the 
army  at  Vitry.  And  even  the  French  censors  did 
not  suppress  the  news  when  four  days  after  Nancy 
the  Crown  Prince  himself  was  in  full  flight.  So 
their  faith  in  their  patron  saint  will  never  die  — 
these  pathetic,  earnest  little-mothers  of  France! 

During  the  retreat  superb  discipline  and  superior 
strength  of  artillery  and  machine  guns  saved  the 

80 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

German  armies  from  complete  disaster.  With  mod- 
ern weapons  rear-guard  actions  are  full  of  possibili- 
ties. But  they  had  played  small  part  in  German 
training,  and  of  all  their  generals  involved  in  the 
retreat,  von  Kluck  alone  had  profited  by  the  lessons 
taught  by  the  Allies  during  their  masterly  with- 
drawal from  Belgium.  But  once  on  the  Aisne,  they 
could  not  be  dislodged. 

Intrenching  machines  and  heavy  artillery  aided 
the  German  Army  in  its  rapid  efforts  to  dig  in  and 
consolidate  on  the  new  line  west  of  Verdun  and  along 
the  Aisne.  Vast  convoys  of  ammunition  were  pour- 
ing down  their  lines  of  communication,  while  the 
Allies'  stores  had  been  seriously  depleted  by  the 
drain  of  the  Marne  battle.  Lack  of  heavy  guns  also 
hampered  the  French  and  British  Armies,  which 
could  make  no  adequate  reply  to  the  heavier  calibers 
of  the  German  artillery. 

Except  for  the  artillery  battle  on  the  St.  Mihiel 
salient,  all  operations  below  Verdun  soon  relapsed 
to  siege  warfare,  with  the  Germans  everywhere  back 
on  their  own  frontier.  Westward  from  Verdun  the 
tactics  of  the  Crown  Prince  were  simple.  He  had 
uncovered  the  road  and  railway  through  Clermont 
without  an  effort,  but  he  dug  in  on  a  front  from 
Etain  well  above  the  fortress,  to  Varennes,  and  at 
Vienne  west  of  the  Argonne  forest,  and  endeavored 
by  siege  artillery  to  break  the  vital  French  communi- 
cations with  Verdun  which  had  slipped  from  his 

81 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

grasp.  In  the  forest  a  series  of  picturesque  and 
elemental  battles  raged  for  weeks,  as  the  Germans 
attempted  to  link  their  divided  front,  and  the  French 
detachments  stalked  them  in  the  gloomy  tangle. 
Prodigal  use  of  barbed  wire  and  machine  guns  en- 
abled a  rough  line  gradually  to  be  established  while 
woodland  paths  were  turned  into  roads.  Verdun  it- 
self, like  Nancy,  could  hardly  hear  a  German  gun, 
and  the  great  efforts  to  open  these  direct  gates  be- 
tween France  and  Germany  had  failed. 

The  Wurttemberg  army  dug  in  on  the  right,  across 
the  ancient  battle  ground  of  Attila,  on  the  providen- 
tial chalk  hills  extending  across  the  Champagne  Pou- 
illeuse  and  protecting  the  Bazancourt-Challerange 
railway.  The  line  rested  on  the  natural  ramparts  of 
Tahure,  Massiges,  Mesnil,  and  the  butte  above 
Souaine  (a  city  they  tried  to  hold  but  soon  lost)  to 
the  five-mile  ridge  above  Auberive  and  the  Suippe 
which  was  held  by  the  redistributed  Saxons  and  von 
Buelow,  across  the  Moronvilliers  plateau  round  the 
hills  above  Rheims  to  the  Aisne  heights. 

For  several  days  von  Buelow  fought  back  vigor- 
ously and  fruitlessly  to  recapture  Eheims.  Failing 
in  this  he  made  a  desperate  lunge  eighteen  miles  east 
of  the  city,  a  surprise  attack  to  break  the  French  cen- 
ter and  regain  Souaine.  Burning  to  retrieve  their 
defeat  at  St.  Gond,  the  Guards  led  the  attack  against 
the  right  of  their  old  adversary  at  daybreak.  The 
French  were  reorganizing  their  forces  in  open 

82 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

ground,  with  their  reserves  at  Souaine.  But  their 
advanced  posts,  supported  by  heavy  cavalry,  fought 
back  steadily  and  made  a  stand  in  the  barricaded 
village  of  Auberive,  holding  out  against  overwhelm- 
ing odds  until  help  arrived.  Dragoons  with  machine 
guns  held  one  road  against  seven  massed  attacks. 

While  this  hornets '  nest  was  checking  the  on- 
slaught, the  French  infantry  were  marching  rapidly 
from  Souaine,  and  the  batteries,  desperately  needed, 
were  cantering  up  the  macadam  road  in  column,  a 
mile  beyond  their  supports,  when  an  aeroplane 
swooped  over  and  reported  that  the  guns  had  out- 
distanced the  infantry.  A  brigade  of  German  light 
cavalry  at  once  made  a  detour  to  intercept  the  ven- 
turesome artillery.  The  Death's  Head  Hussars  led 
the  attack.  Four  narrow,  screened  paths  through 
an  abandoned  vineyard  enabled  the  cavalry  to  trot 
smartly  to  the  flank  of  the  marching  batteries,  and 
debouch  in  squadron  columns  on  the  edge  of  an  open 
field  which  the  road  traversed  800  yards  away. 
The  long  column  of  guns  and  wagons  moved  in  a  cloud 
of  dust,  and  the  gunners  saw  their  danger  only  when 
their  mounted  flank  guards  were  sabered  as  the 
enemy  squadrons  galloped  into  line  and  swept  for- 
ward. In  appalling  confusion  the  batteries  halted, 
unlimbered,  and  the  guns  came  into  action  from  the 
road,  with  intervals  choked  with  limbers,  wagons 
and  plunging  horses.  As  the  Hussars  changed  from 
a  gallop  to  a  charge  less  than  200  yards  distant,  the 

83 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

75  's  spoke  thrice  at  point-blank  range — the  race  with 
death  was  theirs  by  a  margin  'of  seconds.  The 
charging  line  quivered,  slowed,  and  collapsed  in 
pitiful  heaps.  Victory  had  slipped  from  their  grasp, 
as  the  impetuosity  of  many  officers  brought  them 
headlong  into  the  French  line. 

The  scene  repeated  Balaklava.  The  shattered 
squadrons  wheeled  in  confusion  and  rode  madly 
back  to  cover,  the  guns  belching  behind  them  across 
fields  littered  with  dead  and  dying.  The  brigade 
was  literally  shot  to  pieces.  No  poet  laureate  will 
immortalize  this  fight;  six  lines  in  the  official  re- 
port covered  the  entire  day's  battle. 

The  batteries  were  hurried  on  up  the  road,  where 
they  found  their  dismounted  cavalry  nearly  en- 
veloped. The  Guard  Corps  made  three  desperate 
frontal  attacks  before  Auberive  and  gained  the 
village  before  the  French  infantry  could  all  get  up. 
But  with  cavalry  too  shattered  to  guard  their  flank, 
their  position  was  soon  enfiladed  by  Zouaves,  who 
had  advanced  unseen  along  the  Suippe,  and  a  rapid 
retirement  was  necessary.  Heavy  guns  soon  bat- 
tered Auberive  to  pieces,  however,  and  the  French 
abandoned  the  exposed  position  and  consolidated 
their  lines  above  Souaine. 

On  von  Buelow's  left,  along  the  Aisne,  the  army 
of  von  Kluck  had  made  a  determined  fight.  With 
the  river  directly  below  him,  he  never  expected  that 
the  Allies  could  cross.  When  the  British  fought 

84 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

their  way  over  and  gained  the  edge  of  the  ridge,  he 
made  desperate  efforts  to  throw  them  back.  But 
the  thin  line  clung  fast.  Every  man  was  needed  on 
this  precarious  front  and  the  British  had  no  re- 
serves. But  a  brigade  of  the  First  Division  pushed 
up  the  valley  of  Vendresse  through  a  tempest  of  fire, 
and  after  heavy  losses  companies  of  the  Northamp- 
tons,  supported  by  dismounted  cavalry,  reached  the 
top  of  the  ridge  and  clung  to  the  ditch  on  the  Chemin 
des  Dames,  the  road  which  marked  the  main  Ger- 
man front.  They  formed  the  tip  of  a  wedge  which 
aimed  at  von  Kluck 's  left,  straight  for  the  vulner- 
able gap  which  at  first  existed  between  the  First 
and  Second  German  Armies. 

Realizing  the  danger,  von  Kluck  directed  fourteen 
counter  attacks  on  the  vastly  outnumbered  forces 
at  the  top  of  the  valley,  all  of  which  failed;  and  in 
a  drive  aimed  at  the  base  of  this  wedge,  maintained 
by  Haig,  who  commanded  the  British  right,  the  Ger- 
mans lost  a  battery  and  600  prisoners. 

General  French  sent  to  Joffre's  headquarters  for 
reinforcements  to  enlarge  the  wedge.  At  this  junc- 
ture De  Castelnau  was  rushing  over  from  Nancy 
with  some  of  his  finest  troops.  If  these  corps  could 
have  been  pushed  up  in  the  gap,  the  Germans  admit 
that  von  Kluck  would  have  been  cut  off  from  the 
other  armies  and  again  forced  to  retire.  But  Gen- 
eral Joffre  decided  that  De  Castlenau's  army  could 
be  detrained  more  rapidly  farther  west  toward 

85 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Noyon  on  von  Kluck 's  exposed  right  and  rear  to 
definitely  turn  that  flank. 

So  the  British  held  on  grimly  against  repeated 
assaults,  almost  expelled  by  one  desperate  subter- 
fuge. Stretcher  bearers  were  allowed  to  approach 
the  head  of  the  valley  under  the  Geneva  emblem,  to 
collect  the  German  wounded  between  the  lines ;  but 
machine  guns  were  treacherously  unloaded  from  the 
litters,  and  a  murderous  enfilade  opened  on  the 
British,  who  had  humanely  ceased  fire  and  were 
standing  up  in  their  trenches.  An  attack  by  masses 
at  once  supported  this  treacherous  act ;  but  it  failed, 
and  the  machine  guns  were  left  in  the  open,  with 
new  heaps  of  German  dead. 

The  British  maintained  their  menace  to  the  gap 
while  De  Castelnau's  attack  was  developing,  but 
just  as  the  Sixth  Division  and  heavy  howitzers  ar- 
rived from  England,  and  a  Morocco  brigade  of  the 
Fifth  Army  came  up  to  support  the  British  wedge, 
unexpected  help  reached  von  Kluck. 

Hearing  of  the  Marne  defeat,  General  von  Zwehl, 
left  with  a  Corps  of  Reservists  to  garrison  Maubeuge 
and  guard  cpmmunications,  made  forced  marches  to 
Laon  without  orders.  His  forces  were  flung  across 
the  gap,  linking  von  Buelow  and  von  Kluck 's  firmly. 
For  his  initiative  he  was  decorated  and  promoted 
on  the  field.  Had  Maubeuge  been  able  to  hold  out 
longer  history  might  have  been  different.  The  Ger- 
man front  was  now  solid.  As  the  Sixth  Army  was 

86 


THE  ALLIES  STRIKE  BACK 

pushing  von  Kluck's  right  wing  well  north  of  the 
Aisne,  and  De  Castelnau  was  preparing  his  envelop- 
ing movement  on  the  extreme  right,  reinforcements 
from  every  army  were  shifted  over  to  von  Kluck, 
who  built  up  a  rapid  curve  on  his  flank  and  soon 
masked  De  Castelnau 's  advance.  These  maneuvers 
definitely  turned  the  lines  northward  to  the  vicinity 
of  Noyon. 

The  battle  of  the  Aisne  had  now  degenerated  into 
a  dead-locked  front  of  definite  siege  warfare.  Von 
Kluck  had  proved  himself  a  brilliant  and  resourceful 
general,  superior  in  strategy  and  tactics  to  his  ma- 
chine-made confreres.  By  a  narrow  margin  he  had 
saved  his  army  from  a  second  retreat,  and  had  thus 
saved  the  German  line. 


CHAPTER  IV 
A  MORE  PERSONAL  VIEW  IN  PICARDY 

LET  us  take  a  more  personal  view  of  the  new  phases 
of  the  conflict  after  the  stupendous  battle  of  millions 
had  resolved  itself  into  a  huge  siege  operation  from 
Switzerland  to  Noyon.  From  September  21  the 
fighting  on  the  German  flank  in  the  districts  of  Eibe- 
court,  Noyon  and  Eoye,  with  many  interlocking  posi- 
tions and  scores  of  minor  battles,  was  like  a  game 
of  chess.  On  September  30  a  night  attack  gave  the 
Germans  the  heights  of  Eoye  and  Fresnoy  le  Grande, 
northwest  of  Noyon,  and  the  lines  became  definitely 
established  on  a  firm  curve  northward  from 
the  Aisne.  Until  then  no  rigid  front  had  been  estab- 
lished across  this  zone.  Life  and  property  were  no- 
where safe,  and  the  farmers  in  the  cultivated  forests 
of  the  Oise  suffered  shamefully  from  German  raid- 
ing parties  foraging  at  night.  The  French  invari- 
ably treated  these  freebooters  as  prisoners  of  war 
when  caught,  though,  with  the  Germans,  a  peasant 's 
frown  was  a  death-warrant.  Specific  cases  of  rape 
and  degeneracy,  frequent  when  von  Kluck's  Ee- 
serves  were  resting  on  the  Ourcq,  were  repeated  on 
the  Oise. 

88 


Checked  on  the  heights  of  Lassigny,  De  Castel- 
nau  dug  in,  filled  his  trenches  with  territorials  and 
pushed  his  picked  forces  to  Amiens,  to  feel  again 
for  the  German  flank.  Amade's  cavalry  reoccupied 
the  St.  Quentin  roads,  menacing  important  lines  of 
communication,  and  other  forces  worked  their  way 
up  the  Somme  valley  in  support.  It  was  impressive 
to  watch  the  change  in  the  inhabitants  of  Amiens 
as  the  army  based  there  pushed  successfully  east- 
ward. 

After  the  battle  of  Moreuil  the  Pickelhaubens  of 
von  Kluck's  Reserve  Corps  had  goose-stepped  ma- 
jestically down  the  Rue  Jules  Barny,  when  they 
captured  Amiens  September  3,  Amade  retiring 
through  Picquigny.  They  withdrew  with  no  bands 
or  chorus  of  Deutschland  uber  Alles,  horse,  foot  and 
guns  scrambling  out  on  the  13th  when  von  Kluck's 
retreat  had  uncovered  the  roads  from  the  south. 
They  left  huge  levies  of  wine  and  cigars  uncollected, 
and  did  not  seriously  damage  the  railways,  except  to 
blow  up  one  bridge  as  Sordet's  cavalry  approached. 

With  incredible  speed  the  Royal  Engineers  erected 
bridges  of  crib  work  on  the  already  destroyed  struc- 
tures on  the  Rouen  branch.  The  French  put  cross- 
ings on  the  spans  they  had  blown  up  on  the  Abbe- 
ville section.  They  were  tested  for  a  night  by  heavy 
express  engines,  and  within  two  days  the  lines  to 
Paris,  Havre  and  North  France,  of  special  strategic 
value,  were  in  operation. 

89 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

When  I  read  the  proclamations  posted  up  in  this 
district,  in  German  and  French — Bekanntmachung 
or  Avis  moderate  despite  "Ordnungsgemasen," 
"Nichtbefolgung,"  Poliseiverwaltungen  and  Emp- 
fangsbescheinigung,  it  was  apparent  that  German 
soldiers,  like  those  of  other  armies,  reflect  the  will 
and  desire  of  their  immediate  commanders.  The 
orders  were  different  from  the  rigorous  effusions  I 
had  seen  elsewhere.  I  made  diligent  inquiries  and 
emphasize  the  fact  that  I  did  not  hear  a  serious  com- 
plaint of  brutality  during  the  occupation,  when 
Amiens  was  crowded  with  women  and  children  from 
other  districts.  They  took  away  many  young  men 
of  the  next  recruit  classes,  an  act  of  war,  but  they 
purchased  instead  of  looting,  and  their  requisitions 
were  not  excessive.  General  von  Stockhausen  and 
M.  Fiquet,  the  mayor,  deserve  special  commendation 
for  their  actions  in  those  trying  days. 

We  cannot  believe  that  the  people  of  Picardy  are 
merely  more  truthful  than  the  inhabitants  of  other 
departments,  from  whom  I  heard  stories  of  brutal- 
ity which  cannot  be  swept  away  as  lies  or  hysterical 
exaggerations,  especially  from  the  towns  which  were 
not  torn  to  pieces  in  conflict,  when  suffering  and 
horror  are  unavoidable.  In  most  places  the  Ger- 
mans have  been  guilty  of  murder  and  outrage. 
Many  soldiers  were  paleolithic  men ;  others  were  de- 
generates. Fiends  were  allowed  full  sway  when 
those  in  authority  were  disciples  of  that  pernicious 

90 


A  MORE  PERSONAL  VIEW  IN  PICARDY 

doctrine  of  terrorism  and  destruction  of  all  spiritual 
and  moral  structures;  a  code  of  war  laid  down  by 
leading  military  writers  in  Germany.  Side  by  side 
in  Belgium  and  France  you  could  trace  the  advance 
of  humane  leaders  and  the  ruthless  trail  of  those  who 
had  read,  unwisely  or  too  well,  specific  passages  of 
"Kriegsbrauch  in  Landkriege." 

I  could  fill  several  volumes  with  the  story  of  Ger- 
man ruthlessness  not  far  away.  Of  special  interest, 
however,  is  the  treatment  of  the  famous  Au  Fond  des 
Forets,  the  beautiful  country  seat  of  Mr.  William 
Payne  of  New  York  and  his  paralyzed  wife,  at  Rosoy 
on  the  Oise.  The  British  had  camped  in  their 
grounds,  but  not  a  thing  had  been  touched.  Leaving 
three  American  flags  on  the  Chateau  and  gates,  the 
owners  moved  out  when  the  Germans  approached. 
The  Stars  and  Stripes  were  torn  down,  pinned  on 
the  lawn  and  polluted.  The  Chateau  was  looted 
from  attic  to  wine  cellar,  and  of  the  historical  furni- 
ture, prized  library  and  collection  of  arms,  tapestry, 
paintings  and  antiques,  everything  that  could  not  be 
sent  back  to  Germany  was  hacked  to  pieces.  Dead 
horses  were  buried  in  the  lawn,  stained  glass  win- 
dows of  Cucci  were  smashed,  and  Mrs.  Payne's 
clothes  were  looted  or  torn  up.  Every  bed  was 
polluted.  The  Chateau  de  Chamant,  home  of  Mr. 
Jefferson  Davis  Cohan  near  Senlis,  was  occupied  by 
von  Kluck's  staff.  The  private  property  of  this 
American  was  coolly  loaded  in  his  own  farm  wagons 

91 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

and  driven  off.  Prince  Eitel  was  at  the  Chateau 
Sivier  at  Choisy  near  Compiegne.  When  he  left  the 
art  treasures  were  carted  away  with  his  baggage. 
The  country  seat  of  a  Philadelphia  lady  was  com- 
pletely looted.  Her  stock  of  preserves  was  emptied 
and  each  jar  carefully  refilled  with  offal.  These 
are  a  few  instances  out  of  hundreds,  but  significant 
because  in  modern  wars  neutral  flags  have  generally 
won  immunity  for  property  of  foreign  residents. 

I  wish  that  I  could  take  you  through  the  black 
ruins  of  many  historic  French  homes  so  that  you 
would  appreciate  the  vandalism  which  character- 
ized the  German  advance,  and  the  destruction  of  so 
much  that  belongs  to  history  rather  than  to  an  in- 
dividual owner  or  nation.  In  an  indignant  message 
to  the  United  States,  the  Crown  Prince  denied  the 
stories  of  looting  by  the  German  forces  in  general, 
and  his  own  command  in  particular.  The  treatment 
of  homes  of  neutral  Americans  in  France  is  an  em- 
phatic answer  to  his  Eoyal  Highness,  and  on  his  own 
front  there  have  been  shameful  looting  and  spolia- 
tion. Some  neutrals  have  visited  the  Chateau  de 
Baye  near  Champaubert,  M.  Minnon's  Chateau  near 
Sedan,  and  a  home  at  Revigny  after  the  Crown 
Prince  had  moved  his  respective  headquarters.  And 
the  treatment  of  women  by  men  in  his  command 
during  the  advance  of  this  royal  plunderer  was  far 
worse  than  more  isolated  incidents  on  the  route  of 
the  First  Army. 

92 


A  MORE  PERSONAL  VIEW  IN  PICARDY 

There  is  a  need  for  moderate  statements.  But 
arson,  organized  pillage  and  foul  pollution  charac- 
terized the  general  German  advance.  The  command- 
ers of  several  army  corps  also  specifically  author- 
ized murder  and  ignored  rape,  as  their  masses  swept 
across  France.  In  consequence  a  million  women 
and  children  fled  in  mad  terror  from  the  northern  de- 
partments, enduring  terrible  hardships  and  priva- 
tions, and  leaving  zones  not  endangered  by  battle. 
"Es  bleibe  kein  Feind  lebend  Jiinter  uns,"  was  one 
clause  of  an  order  by  General  Stenger  at  Thiaville. 

Thousands  of  French  troops  were  soon  moving 
through  Amiens  to  the  fighting  east  of  the  city, 
when  the  flanking  offensive  was  checked  and  ham- 
mered into  a  French  defensive  across  the  Somme 
valley  and  the  plateau  of  Thipeval.  The  campaign 
was  full  of  exciting  and  picturesque  incidents. 

A  moving  picture  of  the  effect  of  masked  machine 
guns  in  checking  the  second  advance  of  the  French 
near  Albert  would  speak  eloquently  of  many  phases 
of  German  success.  Six  hundred  dead  or  frightfully 
wounded  lay  heaped  in  one  sunken  road  along  which 
a  comparatively  small  force  had  deployed  and  at- 
tempted to  sweep  over  the  bank  to  charge.  Verest- 
chagin  alone  could  have  painted  the  scene  there. 
The  attacking  lines  had  been  instantly  swept  away 
when  exposed  to  a  cleverly  masked  company  of  quick 
firers,  the  dead  or  dying  falling  back  into  the  road 
with  the  survivors  who  waited  until  the  75  's  cleared 

93 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  way,  after  which  some  ground  was  regained. 

War  is  no  longer  picturesque ;  but  in  France  mili- 
tary tradition  had  died  hard  in  a  land  where  the 
popular  will  has  so  frequently  swept  aside  civil  tradi- 
tion. With  the  exception  of  the  dull  linen  covers  for 
the  headdress,  the  uniforms  for  the  first  few  months 
were  the  same  as  those  endeared  to  our  hearts  by 
the  pens  of  French  writers  and  the  brushes  of  her 
artists.  There  was  a  puzzling  sense  of  familiarity 
with  every  scene,  a  positive  idea  that  you  had  partici- 
pated in  it  all  before. 

Let  us  watch  the  French  near  Albert  prepare  a 
village  for  defense — the  troops  of  De  Castelnau,  the 
"permanent"  general  whose  popularity  is  second 
only  to  Pere  Joffre  's,  and  who  has  lost  his  three  sons 
in  the  war.  The  artillery  behind  the  hill  have 
dropped  from  a  Berne-Bellecour  canvas.  A  squad- 
ron of  dragoons  are  retiring  down  a  road  flanked 
by  a  canal  lined  with  poplars.  The  farm,  and  espe- 
cially the  water,  are  Thaulow ;  the  rest  Beauquesne. 
Nothing  has  changed  since  '70  except  the  uniforms 
of  the  dejected  prisoners  who  move  down  the  road, 
and  are  given  milk  and  wine  by  the  village  women — 
an  act  of  splendid  magnanimity  from  people  who 
know  that  sympathy  from  civilians  for  French  pris- 
oners in  Germany  has  been  severely  punished. 

Now  a  travel-stained  regiment  of  infantry  marches 
up  with  the  loose  plodding  route-step  of  the  French, 
denoting  a  spirit  so  peculiarly  their  own.  These 

94 


A  MORE  PERSONAL  VIEW  IN  PICARDY 

pioupious  have  stepped  from  the  covers  of  several 
popular  authors — they  are  old  comrades.  Some 
joke,  others  laugh  and  sing,  and  the  older  men  are 
marked  by  the  dignity  and  reserve  of  men  uprooted 
from  their  homes  and  families  and  flung  into  suf- 
fering and  endurance,  facing  a  death  that  few  then 
could  hope  to  escape.  The  curious  tilt-carts  driven 
by  standing  soldiers  are  De  Neuville ;  so  also  are  the 
horse-ambulances  driven  by  "  pantalons  rouges." 
The  village  square  bristling  with  picturesque  mili- 
tary preparation  is  merely  a  canvas  of  Edouard  De- 
taille,  and  when  a  flock  of  geese  scatter  before  a 
group  of  staff  officers  who  ride  up  rapidly,  and  in- 
fantrymen drag  lumbering  farm  wagons  down  to 
barricade  the  road  against  Uhlans  and  armored  cars, 
the  illusion  is  complete.  Your  mind  can  see  this 
just  as  clearly  as  my  eyes  did.  Thus  art  and  litera- 
ture can  make  the  whole  world  kin. 

But  the  opening  roar  of  guns  in  the  hills  brings  us 
back  to  solid  reality  as  three  sweet-faced  nuns,  in 
spotless  headdress,  walk  calmly  to  the  church,  ready 
for  the  wounded,  who  soon  trickle  in  on  stretchers 
strapped  to  automobiles,  which  strike  discordant 
modern  notes  in  the  vivid  reproduction  of  the  scenes 
we  have  stored  in  earliest  memory.  Some  of  the 
peasants  have  gone,  but  many  remain,  and  despite 
the  ruthless  destruction  a  few  miles  away,  and  com- 
ing nearer,  they  carry  food  to  the  tired  patrols  and 
to  the  hungry  prisoners,  who  are  haggard,  and  some 

95 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

of  whom  are  kindly  faced  fellows  to  contrast  with 
their  blasphemous  Feldwebel  and  a  group  of  thugs. 

A  French  sergeant  offers  to  pay,  and  madame,  the 
mayor's  wife,  is  furiously  angry — a  village  matron, 
she  talks  with  the  dignity  of  a  duchess.  A  bearded 
French  boy,  with  sunken  eyes  that  glow  like  hot 
coals,  replies  in  a  graceful  flow  of  speech  which  re- 
calls Tellegen  with  Bernhardt,  in  "The  Christmas 
Night."  The  soldiers  clap — madame  wipes  away  a 
tear,  and  calls  them  her  dear  sons.  How  your  heart 
goes  out  to  these  people  of  France,  simple  and  kind- 
hearted  !  The  enemy  at  their  throats,  they  are  fight- 
ing for  their  homes,  and  they  are  trying  to  be  brave 
and  cheerful  when  every  heart  is  breaking. 

The  aeroplanes,  another  modern  note,  rush  past 
overhead  very  low,  and  above  the  hill,  behind  which 
French  artillery  is  concealed,  a  large  craft  appears, 
shaped  exactly  like  a  bird,  the  wings  marked  with  the 
Maltese  cross.  The  Taube  insists  on  knowing  what 
is  going  on,  the  French  machines  are  lighter  and 
faster,  and  finally  the  German  reels  and  slithers  side- 
ways to  the  ground.  The  soldiers  give  a  reserved 
cheer ;  a  wagon  and  ambulance  go  out.  The  French 
machines,  however,  fly  off  without  waiting — the  fight 
is  all  in  the  day's  work.  And  on  one  hill  the  Alpine 
artillery,  brought  from  the  Vosges  to  serve  the  few 
heavy  guns,  are  screening  their  position — bronzed 
hardy  mountaineers  in  picturesque  barets  and  put- 
tees. 

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A  MORE  PERSONAL  VIEW  IN  PICARDY 

French  troops  were  not  in  Albert,  but  the  pretty 
town  was  battered  to  pieces  at  considerable  cost  for 
ammunition  for  its  wanton  destruction.  The  beau- 
tiful church  of  Notre  Dame  de  Brebieres  was  left, 
a  sad  ruin,  with  the  figure  of  the  Virgin  shot  away 
from  the  tower,  but  suspended  sideways  by  its 
tangled  supports. 

During  a  prolonged  lull,  on  the  first  Sunday  in 
October,  women  and  children  crept  back  to  the  piti- 
ful ruins  of  their  homes  to  see  what  they  could  save. 
Without  warning,  shells  were  flung  into  them,  killing 
one  and  fatally  tearing  a  child  with  shrapnel.  It  is 
difficult  to  find  an  excuse  for  these  gunners,  and  less 
palliation  for  the  shells  fired  at  the  motor  ambulance 
which  went  out  for  the  little  girl.  It  is  fair  to 
point  out  that  all  vehicles  in  the  French  Army  carry 
small  flags  denoting  the  corps  and  branch  of  the 
service.  It  is  not  always  possible  to  distinguish  the 
Geneva  emblem,  but  the  German  system  gives  no 
benefit  of  a  doubt.  In  Albert  the  women,  the  chil- 
dren and  the  ambulance  were  all  obvious,  however. 
It  was  wanton  murder. 

Two  Sundays  afterward,  when  passing  again 
through  Amiens,  I  saw  a  Taube  drop  bombs  on  the 
Evacuation  Hospital  on  the  rue  Paul  Tellier.  One 
burst  in  the  hospital  yard,  killing  a  well-known  lady 
visiting  the  wounded,  and  injuring  her  daughter. 
The  teams  of  some  loaded  ambulances  stampeded,  and 
each  was  stopped  by  French  soldiers  guarding  the 

97 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

entrance  to  the  railroad  station,  quiet,  bearded  Re- 
servists who  caught  the  horses,  adjusted  the 
wounded,  and  resumed  their  posts. 

At  the  Champ  des  Courses  an  aviation  park  had 
just  been  founded.  French  aviators  pursued  the 
Taube,  which  dropped  a  second  bomb  at  Picquigny, 
where  a  hundred  women  were  giving  water  and  cig- 
arettes to  soldiers,  as  passing  troop  trains  slowed 
down  to  cross  the  repaired  bridges.  Many  were  in- 
jured. A  warning  was  telephoned  to  Abbeville,  then 
held  by  the  London  Scottish  volunteers,  and  a  visit- 
ing British  airman  went  up.  The  Taube  then  turned 
back  and  a  French  flier  was  over  it  in  a  flash.  Three 
times  the  "dove"  drove  upward,  and  three  times  the 
more  rapid  Frenchman  looped  above  his  rival,  firing 
when  his  machine  righted  itself.  In  five  minutes  the 
Taube  crashed  to  the  earth,  both  the  occupants  being 
killed. 

Apart  from  their  brutal  tactics,  the  scientific  effi- 
ciency of  the  German  air  service  is  as  unquestioned 
as  the  bravery  of  its  aviators.  In  combat  they  suf- 
fered often  because  of  the  heavy  stability  of  their 
machines.  But  for  general  military  purposes  their 
training  was  then  unsurpassed.  In  ranging  for  ar- 
tillery, they  would  parallel  a  position,  outlining  its 
confines  with  smoke  bombs  or  tinsel  streamers  if 
sunny,  thus  marking  the  sector  for  their  gunners. 
At  night  they  essayed  flights,  releasing  parachute 
magnesium  flares  over  bivouacs,  parked  convoys  or 

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A  MORE  PERSONAL  VIEW  IN  PICARDY 

ammunition  trains,  and  made  precarious  landing  at 
their  base  as  a  rain  of  shells  searched  out  the 
lighted  position. 

The  feeding  of  vast  armies  in  the  field  is  a  difficult 
and  complex  undertaking.  When  the  German  ma- 
chine became  disorganized  its  efficient  kitchen  serv- 
ice went  to  pieces,  and  the  men  approached  starva- 
tion after  their  emergency  rations  were  devoured. 
The  flexibility  of  French  methods  was  adaptable  to 
most  circumstances.  In  trench  warfare,  however, 
the  Germans  were  at  first  able  to  send  their  Feld- 
kuchen  nearer  the  front,  while  the  French  broke 
monotony  by  alternating  platoons  for  guard,  re- 
serve and  commissary,  so  that  every  third  normal 
day  the  men  got  change,  exercise,  and  a  hot  meal 
before  taking  up  rations  and  supplies.  An  abun- 
dant meal  of  cooked  meat,  and  vegetables,  bread,  red 
wine  and  coffee,  was  the  French  staple,  helped  out 
with  rations  of  cheese  and  chocolate.  But  the  people 
in  the  district  were  never  too  poor  to  remember  their 
army,  and  it  was  touching  to  see  the  contributions 
made  by  the  peasants.  I  have  seen  children  with 
loaded  baskets  trudge  along  shell-swept  roads  daily, 
with  gifts  for  soldiers  whom  they  had  never 
seen. 

The  fortitude  of  the  French  wounded  exhibited 
the  most  wonderful  side  of  the  national  tempera- 
ment, and  if  you  have  seen  them,  you  will  hiss  the 
next  time  your  intelligence  is  outraged  by  the  stage 

99 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

travesty  of  a  Frenchman,  just  as  you  wonder  at 
the  popular  foreign  conception  of  British  officers 
as  monocled  donkeys,  when  you  see  the  modest, 
clean-cut  men  who  lead  their  forces  at  the  front. 
Only  swagger  German  officers  now  wear 
monocles. 

At  first  most  of  the  wounds  were  the  clean  punc- 
tures of  the  modern  bullet.  Occasionally  the  nickel 
coating  becomes  damaged  and  spreads,  or  the  bullet 
is  deflected,  and  topples  in  the  body,  making  a  fright- 
ful hole  at  egress.  Uninitiated  at  once  cry  dum 
dums,  but  we  learned  to  know  these  wounds  in  Cuba 
and  South  Africa. 

Some  German  soldiers  reversed  their  bullets  and 
fired  them  base  first.  I  have  never  been  able  to 
loosen  the  slightly  blunt  French  bullet,  though  with 
the  pentacapsular  clips  of  the  Mauser  bullets  can 
generally  be  worked  loose  with  the  fingers  and 
turned.  I  have  found  one  clip  with  three  cartridges 
thus  reversed  and.  reset  in  wax.  This  would  spoil 
accuracy  but  inflict  a  terrible  wound. 

During  September,  diabolical  wounds  from  shell 
fire,  indescribably  terrible  in  effect,  became -common, 
though  considering  the  persistent  hail  of  heavy  pro- 
jectiles which  the  Germans  maintained  on  the  Allies' 
positions,  the  losses  inflicted  were  light.  The  high- 
angle  howitzers,  so  potent  against  fortifications,  are 
jokes  when  they  fall  from  the  clouds  into  receptive 
mother  earth.  With  their  great  weight  they  burrow 

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A  MORE  PERSONAL  VIEW  IN  PICARDY 

deeply,  and  the  explosion  makes  a  miniature  volcano, 
dangerous  only  for  those  on  the  crater.  A  group  of 
Royal  Artillery  drivers  across  the  Aisne  were  play- 
ing cards  when  an  11-inch  shell  dropped  among  them, 
tearing  off  one  man's  leg.  It  exploded  well  under- 
ground, and  the  circle  of  men  were  raised,  dazed  but 
scathless,  on  a  cone  of  earth.  Only  the  maimed  man 
lost  his  life.  Bayonet  wounds  were  common  in  Pi- 
cardy  and  generally  fatal,  owing,  it  was  said,  to  some 
preparation  smeared  on  the  weapon. 

Saber  wounds  were  encountered  in  volume  only 
during  this  stage  of  the  war  when  cavalry  charged 
cavalry,  and  the  Uhlan  all-steel  lances  proved  a 
deadly  weapon,  though  in  swordsmanship  and  shock 
both  the  French  and  British  cavalry  proved  dis- 
tinctly superior. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  training  of  the  French 
troops  was  lax.  But  "le  soldat  de  demain"  has  to 
face  a  Spartan  course,  which  is  heartbreaking  for 
those  lacking  virility.  For  some  years  the  French 
have  been  following  outdoor  sports  with  avidity, 
until  they  have  been  producing  athletes  able  to  com- 
pete on  equal  terms  with  their  cross-Channel  neigh- 
bors. There  is  naturally  no  tirage  au  sort  for  the 
present  recruit  classes.  Every  lad  is  anxious  to 
serve,  and  from  the  moment  that  a  recruit  receives 
his  feuille  de  route,  he  has  the  deepest  contempt  for 
a  pekin,  as  he  terms  a  civilian. 

The  French  army  is  absolutely  democratic,  and  the 

101 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

* 

Ein  Jdhr  previller  of  the  German  army,  which 
groups  some  men  of  superior  education,  is  unknown. 
The  average  Frenchman  has  little  use  for  aristo- 
crats, and  the  sons  of  the  best  families  are  gruffly 
patronized  by  the  ordinary  private  until  they  forget 
their  airs.  From  5  A.  M.  " reveille"  to  "retraite" 
the  recruits  drill,  march,  dig  trenches,  and  perform 
fatigue  until  dark.  For  recreation  there  is  setting- 
up  drill  and  instruction  in  the  savate,  French  boxing, 
to  make  the  recruits  aggressive. 

After  a  course  of  heavy  field  training,  the  class  is 
ready  for  the  third  line  of  the .  reserve  near  the 
front,  where  the  final  practice  with  the  long  French 
rifle  at  a  changing  silhouette  target,  and  route 
marches  of  twenty  miles  with  full  equipment,  often 
under  shell  fire,  graduate  the  pioupiou  to  the 
front  line,  where  his  average  term  of  life  proved 
short  in  the  terrible  early  days.  Ask  them  if  they 
are  downhearted.  "C'est  la  me,  que  voulez-vous?" 
They  have  little  need  to  study  their  military  code, 
"Moral  duties  of  a  soldier."  Since  the  war,  many 
regiments  have  had  no  cases  of  arrets  de  rigueur, 
and  the  priccoteur,  or  shirker,  has  disappeared. 

A  glance  at  their  towns  occupied  only  by  youths 
and  women  bravely  trying  to  be  cheerful,  tells  one 
story.  But  in  the  churches  their  mask  is  discarded, 
and  life  can  never  be  the  same  again  to  those  who 
have  seen  the  packed  rows  of  kneeling  figures,  who 
may  never  know  the  fate  of  their  loved  ones,  but 

102 


A  MORE  PERSONAL  VIEW  IN  PICARDY 

who  supplicate  silently  with  faith  when  the  shadow 
of  death  is  on  their  hearts,  or  chant  the  national 
prayer,  "Sauvez  la  France,  ne  I'dbandonnez  pas,19 
majestic  in  its  simplicity. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

IT  was  soon  evident  that  De  Castelnau's  effort  to 
turn  the  German  flank  near  St.  Quentin,  late  in  Sep- 
tember, and  cut  their  main  communications  cross- 
ing France  from  Belgium,  had  failed.  Amade's 
cavalry  was  pushed  northwest  by  the  Hessian  Divi- 
sion that  marched  up  through  Chauny  and  Ham 
against  Peronne,  the  advanced  French  base  which 
was  lost  in  attacks  from  the  south  and  east.  The 
enemy  marched  west  in  force  on  both  sides  of  the 
Somme,  and  a  furious  battle  raged  east  of  Amiens. 
Wounded  poured  into  the  city,  windows  shook  with 
gun  shock,  and  for  two  days  the  people  expected  the 
Germans  to  return  any  hour. 

French  reinforcements  raced  up  from  Beauvais, 
adding  to  the  barrier  of  flesh  and  blood  opposed  to 
a  hail  of  steel.  All  roads  to  the  front  were  swept 
by  heavy  shells.  From  the  hills  little  could  be  seen 
to  define  the  situation.  The  German  lines  could 
be  traced  only  by  patches  of  vapor  and  upturned 
earth,  but  the  French  lines,  on  lower  ground,  were 
marked  in  red  and  blue,  the  fatally  conspicuous  uni- 
forms making  an  obvious  target.  Their  front 
seemed  strangely  silent  and  thin  under  heavy  pun- 

104 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

ishment.  But  as  soon  as  gray  masses  rose  to  storm 
the  crumbling  French  line,  they  were  swept  away  by 
rifle  and  machine-gun  fire,  and  field  guns  which  were 
outclassed  in  the  artillery  duel  but  terribly  effective 
when  the  battle  developed. 

The  German  pressure  soon  spread  above  the  river 
to  the  plateau  of  Thiepval.  The  Guard  cavalry 
raided  La  Boiselle,  and  De  Castelnau's  right,  ex- 
tending between  Albert  and  Bapaume,  was  soon 
pushed  back  to  the  Amiens-Douai  road.  Here  were 
fought  the  most  brilliant  cavalry  actions  of  the  war. 
The  Chasseurs  d'Afrique  debouched  suddenly  be- 
fore the  Imperial  Dragoons  at  the  halt.  Serrez  les 
rang  si  sounded,  but  the  stirring  notes  of  the  charge, 
and  conflicting  German  orders  to  the  horse  artillery 
and  the  troopers  were  drowned  by  the  thunder  of 
hoofs.  Gunners  were  sabered  as  they  came  into 
action ;  the  speed  quickened  from  500  to  600  paces  as 
the  French  cut  their  way  through  the  irresolute  dra- 
goons. Reforming  under  heavy  machine-gun  fire, 
with  only  one  Chef  d'Escadron  left,  the  French  cav- 
alry wheeled  to  the  flank  of  the  field  batteries  in 
action  near  Fricourt  and  charged  the  artillery  sup- 
ports. The  guns  limbered  up  and  retired  at  a  gal- 
lop to  Guillemont,  the  impetuous  CTiasses  Marais  in 
pursuit,  though  the  batteries  were  protected  and 
finally  saved  by  armored  cars.  But  the  respite 
gained  was  vital.  It  enabled  the  French  to  push 
straight  across  the  main  road  to  Amiens  and  in- 

105 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

trench,  and  they  had  barred  the  most  important 
approach  to  the  city  and  the  railroad.  Other 
mounted  regiments  fought  and  drove  back  medium 
and  heavy  German  cavalry  from  the  flank,  and 
cleared  the  Arras  road. 

Checked  on  the  banks  of  the  Somme  midway  be- 
tween Peronne  and  Bray,  and  faced  now  by  a  solid 
front  east  of  Albert,  which  stood  persistent  massed 
attacks,  the  Germans  held  a  complete  semicircle  on 
the  southern  and  western  edge  of  the  Thiepval 
plateau,  maintaining  a  wide  salient  dominating  the 
French  positions.  From  these  hills  they  destroyed 
Albert.  But  all  efforts  to  debouch  from  the  southern 
slopes  to  the  Somme  valley  failed,  and  advances 
from  the  western  ridges  were  met  and  stopped  by 
De  Castelnau's  left  now  resting  firmly  along  the 
Ancre.  Amiens  and  the  road  to  Arras  were  safe, 
and  the  Ancre  line  held  through  trying  weeks,  when, 
by  mining  and  sapping,  entire  sections  were  blown 
up  and  the  enemy  trenches  came  ominously  close. 
But  all  this  was  siege  warfare,  which  had  extended 
north  forty  miles  from  the  Aisne  across  the  Somme, 
and  thirty  miles  north  of  the  river,  now  nearly  to 
Arras. 

Directly  De  Castelnau's  flanking  offensive  re- 
verted to  trench  warfare,  Joffre  again  reached  north 
to  repeat  this  strategy  east  of  Arras.  On  Septem- 
ber 30,  based  on  this  ancient  capital  of  Artois,  a  new 
army  was  gathered  under  General  Maud'huy.  Com- 

106 


MAP  No.  2. 

AREAS  ACROSS  WHICH  THE  GERMAN  ARMIES  WERE  CHECKED  AND 
HALTED  BY  THE  ALLIES  IN  SUCCESSIVE  BATTLES  WHICH  CURVED 
THE  INTRENCHED  FRONT  PROM  THE  AISNE  NORTH  TO  THE  BEL- 
GIAN COAST. 

107 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

posed  chiefly  of  a  mixed  force  of  Territorials,  this 
army  was  deployed  on  De  Castelnau's  left,  extend- 
ing the  front  to  Lens,  while  the  cavalry,  supported 
by  strong  columns,  moved  out  from  Arras  along  the 
Scarpe  across  the  plain  of  Douai.  These  forces 
advanced  well  round  the  German  flank  and  menaced 
communications  at  Valenciennes.  But  huge  enemy 
forces  had  reached  Cambrai  to  flank  De  Castelnau, 
and  Maud'huy's  offensive  was  checked  and  rolled 
back — a  duplicate  of  the  previous  maneuvers.  The 
French  retired  to  the  line  Hebuterne-Arras-Lens 
while  heavy  columns  hammered  their  center,  to  cap- 
ture Arras.  By  October  5,  Maud'huy  was  reorgan- 
izing his  forces  just  east  of  the  city. 

We  have  all  read  frequently  of  the  "telescopic 
German  right"  which  had  been  "steadily  extended 
northward. ' '  This  description  can  be  applied  to  the 
forces  of  the  Allies  only.  They  had  built  up  their 
line  sector  by  sector.  There  was  no  "telescopic" 
extension  of  the  German  front  above  Noyon.  It  was 
a  new  invasion  by  mass. 

Speed  was  essential  for  a  definite  German 
triumph.  Directly  their  armies  were  deadlocked  on 
the  Aisne,  they  had  regrouped  their  forces  for  a 
great  strategic  stroke.  On  the  frontier  von  Falken- 
hayn  took  command  of  covering  corps  on  the  de- 
fensive line,  von  Stranz  broadened  his  front  before 
Metz,  and  the  Crown  Prince  extended  his  left  round 
Verdun.  This  released  the  Sixth  and  Seventh 

108 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

Armies.  Across  Champagne  von  Einem  extended 
the  reorganized  Third  Army.  Two  corps  command- 
ers were  promoted,  von  Emmich,  of  Liege  fame,  and 
von  Zwehl,  questionable  hero  of  Maubeuge  and  the 
Aisne  gap.  These  commands,  built  up  with  forces 
from  Alsace,  Reservists,  divisions  of  second  line 
Landwehr  and  Ersatz  formations,  took  over  the  in- 
trenched line  between  von  Kluck  and  the  Argonne, 
and  released  the  Second  and  Fourth  Armies.  Thus 
four  armies  augmented  by  new  divisions  were  free 
late  in  September  to  sweep  back  in  a  united  effort 
to  capture  the  rest  of  Belgium  and  all  North  France. 

Plan  1  of  the  General  Staff,  the  capture  of  Paris 
and  the  rout  of  the  French  Army,  had  failed  deci- 
sively. In  a  modified  form  Plan  2  was  the  natural 
sequence.  This  embraced  the  capture  of  Belgium, 
and  all  North  France,  above  a  line  from  Metz  west 
to  the  sea,  by  seizing  and  intrenching  the  Rheims- 
Laon  barrier  along  the  Aisne  and  westward  to  Havre 
and  the  Seine  mouth.  The  Marne  retreat  had  now 
placed  their  armies  on  the  eastern  half  of  the  selected 
line  of  positions  which  Nature  had  implanted  along 
the  greater  part  of  this  front,  as  an  incentive  for  No. 
2  of  Germany's  defined  plans  of  campaign,  which 
would  seize  Belgium  and  rob  France  of  her  chief 
mineral  and  industrial  regions  and  her  most  im- 
portant Channel  ports. 

If  the  German  leaders  at  first  had  been  less  im- 
petuous in  their  assurance  of  victory,  Plan  2  might 

109 


UNDEE  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

have  been  consummated  fully.  When  von  Kluck  cap- 
tured Amiens,  with  the  Allies  in  retreat,  his  reserve 
corps  and  cavalry  could  have  swept  southwest,  iso- 
lated Amade's  forces  and  captured  Rouen  and  Le 
Havre,  avoiding  the  risk  and  losses  of  the  dash 
south  for  Paris.  The  other  armies  would  have  ex- 
perienced little  difficulty  in  extending  and  intrench- 
ing along  the  Aisne  on  a  wider  front  to  the  west,  thus 
embracing  an  extension  to  the  sea  of  the  same  line 
to  which  they  were  soon  driven  with  sanguinary  loss. 
All  the  ports  accessible  from  England  would  then 
have  been  cut  off,  an  exposed  flank  avoided,  and  all 
North  France  occupied.  The  middle  of  October  was 
to  see  the  Germans  holding  firmly  at  a  right  angle 
to  it,  a  longer  and  more  difficult  line  north  to  Bel- 
gium than  the  one  Plan  2  had  selected  from  Laon 
west  to  the  coast,  and  it  was  well  east  of  the  main 
railroad  which  linked  Paris  with  ports  21  miles  from 
England,  while  Dieppe  and  Le  Havre,  with  its  vast 
wharves  and  railroads,  were  open  for  Southampton 
to  pour  in  daily  fleets  with  men  and  stores. 

In  September  the  German  horde  had  been  dead- 
locked on  the  intrenched  Aisne  line,  like  a  tidal  wave 
arrested  by  too  strong  a  dam.  The  freed  armies 
were  to  react,  as  the  flood  would  recede  from  the 
barrier  and  flow  round  its  confines.  Von  Heer- 
ingen  and  the  Seventh  Army,  disengaged  first,  had 
gone  over  to  operate  between  the  Oise  and  Somme, 
above  von  Kluck 's  right.  Von  Buelow  with  the  Sec- 

110 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

ond  Army,  was  striking  due  west,  north  of  the 
Somme,  aiming  at  Amiens,  with  his  left  swinging 
round  toward  Arras.  He  was  checked  as  shown. 
The  Sixth  Army  (Bavarian  under  Prince  Rup- 
precht),  was  advancing  further  north,  preceded  by 
eight  divisions  of  cavalry,  and  deploying  above  von 
Buelow  between  Arras  and  Belgium,  aiming  at  Lille 
and  the  vast  and  practically  undefended  industrial 
regions  of  Nord  and  Pas  de  Calais.  Above  this 
army,  on  its  right,  the  Fourth  (Wurttemberg)  was 
moving  back  to  Belgium  to  cooperate  with  the  Ninth 
Army  under  von  Beseler,  investing  the  Belgian  Army 
in  Antwerp.  The  siege  guns  were  already  reducing 
the  fortress.  The  remnants  of  the  Belgian  Army 
were  to  be  enveloped  and  driven  to  the  sea  or  Hol- 
land. 

In  theory,  even  when  von  Buelow  was  checked, 
German  success  was  assured.  With  eighteen  army 
corps  and  four  corps  of  cavalry  operating  above 
Noyon,  and  upper  North  France  guarded  only  by 
detachments  of  Territorials,  the  role  appeared  an 
easy  one.  With  Belgium  finished,  the  Fourth  Army, 
its  right  on  the  coast,  could  clean  up  the  weakly  de- 
fended Channel  ports,  and  in  cooperation  with  the 
Bavarians  in  Artois  and  Pas  de  Calais,  imposing 
masses  could  literally  swamp  the  Allied  flank  when 
shaken  by  frontal  attacks,  and  roll  it  south. 

Eecall  the  political  trend  of  German  strategy 
in  the  war.  Its  aim  has  been  the  extension  of  mili- 

111 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

tary  lines  as  an  actual  extension  of  the  German 
frontier.  From  the  first  the  army  may  be  said  to 
have  lifted  the  frontier  posts  and  moved  them  as  far 
outward  across  Belgium  and  France  as  they  could 
force  their  way,  making  the  ground  behind  solidly 
German.  The  nominal  western  frontier  of  Germany 
started  at  Antwerp  and  extended  along  a  picketed 
line,  through  Brussels  to  France  at  Valenciennes  and 
thence  to  the  Aisne.  Its  southern  border  was 
marked  firmly  along  the  intrenched  front.  The 
next  effort  was  to  push  the  western  frontier  out- 
ward from  the  Noyon  curve  and,  by  sheer  weight 
at  the  north,  bend  it  forward  until  it  extended 
straight  across  France  to  the  western  coast.  Von 
Moltke  had  aimed  for  Paris  and  failed.  His  suc- 
cessor, von  Falkenhayn,  was  reaching  for  Belgium 
and  all  North  France :  Plan  2. 

The  Germans  were  operating  on  a  concentric  front 
from  which  troops  could  be  moved  rapidly  by  direct 
routes  to  any  desired  point.  Belgian  and  French 
railroads  had  hastily  been  broken  to  delay  the  first 
invasion.  But  the  skilled  railroad  corps  had  been 
long  prepared  for  eventualities.  Duplicate  parts  for 
destroyed  bridges,  surveys  and  material  for  re- 
construction, had  long  been  ready.  By  October  1 
the  network  of  Belgain  and  French  railways  was 
restored  and  practicable.  Even  dynamited  tunnels 
had  been  excavated  from  above  by  steam  shovels, 
and  opened  into  cuttings. 

112 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

The  Allies  had  to  move  men  and  stores  by  a  cir- 
cuitous route,  passing  entirely  along  the  new  western 
front  which  the  Germans  were  approaching,  vulner- 
able at  many  points  for  attack  in  force,  and  open 
everywhere  for  raiders.  But  strategy  must  not  only 
be  based  on  knowledge  of  what  an  opponent  is  doing, 
but  on  a  correct  estimate  of  the  action  conditions 
will  force  upon  him.  Even  the  rapid  report  by  aero- 
plane could  not  cover  the  unforeseen  things  which 
wrecked  the  ponderous  German  plan.  Her  mechan- 
ical definition  of  Force  overlooked  many  elements 
of  power  which  must  come  under  the  same  heading. 
And  Joffre  seldom  did  the  "correct"  military  thing 
as  expected  by  minds  trained  in  the  rigid  Moltke 
school. 

First,  Germany  did  not  seriously  consider  the 
French  Territorials,  or  the  Territorial  Reserves  of 
the  last  line,  who  had  neither  uniforms,  stores,  nor 
equipment,  but  possessed  rifles  and  the  spirit  to  dig 
and  fight  for  France.  Fathers  and  grandfathers, 
they  died  in  a  thousand  minor  actions,  holding  towns 
and  villages  and  bridges,  guarding  the  roads  and 
railroads,  eating  and  sleeping  when  fate  decreed  and 
placing  no  strain  on  organized  resources. 

This  left  the  active  Territorials  free  for  the  fight- 
ing line.  These  had  relieved  De  Castlenau  's  left  and 
enabled  him  to  push  up  through  Amiens  overnight 
when  the  cavalry  corps  on  the  Somme,  supported 
only  by  four  Territorial  divisions,  were  being  over- 

113 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

whelmed.  This  developed  the  battle  before  Albert 
which  saved  the  main  railroad  north. 

Unexpectedly  Joffre  had  faced  the  risk,  and,  de- 
pleting the  Territorial  garrisons  in  the  north,  had 
massed  them  before  Arras  under  Maud'huy,  an  in- 
transigent Lorrainer  born  at  Metz.  These  forces 
made  a  solid  line  that  bent  but  could  not  be  broken. 
This  left  the  two  northern  departments  practically 
unprotected,  but  it  kept  open  roads  and  rail  vital 
for  both  British  and  French  armies  when  they 
rushed  up  from  the  Aisne.  The  scattered  garrisons 
that  were  to  be  swamped  proved  invincible  when 
gathered  as  an  unexpected  army,  and  their  final 
reserves  proved  heroes  in  their  absence. 

Detachments  of  Uhlans  and  motorcyclists,  who 
had  moved  round  Arras  to  destroy  bridges  on  road 
and  rail  between  Amiens  and  Bethune,  were  routed 
at  Doullens  and  St.  Pol  by  Belgian  armored  cars 
manned  by  British  Naval  airmen  under  Commander 
Sampson.  They  had  volunteered  to  patrol  un- 
guarded roads,  came  by  fortunate  chance  on  the 
enemy,  and  broke  another  cog  in  the  German  ma- 
chine. 

A  brigade  of  Marine  Fusiliers,  Breton  recruits 
without  sea  service,  marched  recklessly  from  Dun- 
kirk to  Belgium  without  supports.  The  British 
Seventh  Division  sent  from  England  too  late  to  help 
Antwerp,  also  landed  at  Ostend,  a  blunder  of  Wins- 
ton Churchill's  which  was  to  have  a  glorious  result. 

114 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

These  unexpected  forces  kept  open  roads  by  which 
the  Belgian  army  was  able  to  escape  from  Antwerp 
and  envelopment,  and  because  of  these  fortunate  ac- 
cidents could  join  the  Allies  in  fighting  a  delaying 
action,  which  broke  the  plans  of  the  Wurttemburg 
army  and  saved  the  Channel  ports.  By  a  series  of 
fortuitous  circumstances,  the  ambitious  German 
strategy  was  to  fail  at  every  point. 

Qui  vive?  Ou  allez  vous?  The  challenge  was 
French  when  the  post  should  have  been  British,  and 
my  companion  on  a  trip  toward  Soissons  had  not 
troubled  to  get  the  "word"  for  the  day  and  forgot 
also  if  the  last  countersign  had  been  "Joan  of  Arc" 
or  "Bouches  du  Rhone."  He  cursed  the  spies  who 
turned  signposts  to  deflect  dispatch  riders  and  con- 
voys toward  the  German  lines  with  a  maw  of  guns 
ready  for  the  unwary.  So  we  made  a  detour  to  get 
our  bearings  and  gained  the  main  road,  singularly 
free  from  British  transports  and  ambulances  on 
an  important  line  of  communication.  October  had 
switched  summer  to  winter  with  unprecedented  ra- 
pidity, but  the  soldiers  who  stood  shivering  in  the 
bitter  rain  wore  the  red  and  blue  of  France. 

We  soon  found  parts  of  General  French's  army 
moving  from  the  front.  Could  it  be  a  retreat? 
No,  because  Messrs.  Thomas  Atkins  were  cheerful, 
singing  ' '  Tipperary, "  and  singularly  clean  and  sol- 
dierly; shaven,  refitted,  and  well-groomed — a  strik- 

115 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ing  contrast  to  anything  that  we  had  seen  in  the  war. 

We  soon  learned  that  part  of  the  French  Army, 
and  the  British  Army,  were  starting  to  withdraw 
from  the  Aisne  to  entrain  for  the  north  of  France. 
Unit  after  unit  was  leaving  the  trenches  after  dark, 
and  the  new  levies  of  France  were  taking  their  place. 
If  French  batteries  were  not  available,  spare  wheels 
were  taken  from  the  artillery  wagons  or  from  farm- 
ers* carts,  and  dummy  guns  replaced  the  British 
batteries,  leaving  nothing  new  for  the  watchful 
aeroplanes  to  report.  The  new  forces  were  manning 
the  trenches  secretly,  and  included  the  Second  Regi- 
ment of  the  Foreign  Legion  with  its  effective  Ameri- 
can contingent.  In  the  ranks  were  two  members  of 
the  Seventh  New  York,  sons  of  Captain  Towle,  and 
Alan  Seeger  of  Harvard. 

The  British  and  strong  French  forces  of  the  first 
line  were  packing  up  their  multifarious  equipment, 
moving  down  from  the  heights  and  over  the  river. 
Strategic  initiative  was  impossible  on  the  intrenched 
fronts.  The  Allies  hoped  to  regain  it  by  a  rapid 
concentration  above  Arras  which  might  decisively 
turn  the  German  right,  or,  by  masking  it,  sweep  on 
into  South  Belgium  to  break  communications  and 
carry  the  war  well  behind  the  enemy's  concentric 
front,  and  automatically  relieve  Antwerp,  which  was 
hard  pressed.  Its  fall  and  the  release  of  the  Ger- 
man investing  army  would  complicate  the  situation. 
If  it  held,  much  of  Western  Belgium  might  be  saved. 

116 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

Hurrying  back  north  in  a  Bed  Cross  car,  we  found 
the  situation  strangely  complicated.  There  was  a 
thunder  of  guns  beyond  the  Arras  road,  and  crowds 
of  frightened  refugees  flocking  west;  invalids  hud- 
dled in  perambulators,  children  with  cats  and  ca- 
naries, told  the  story.  We  had  gone  up  ready  for 
the  hour  that  the  Aisne  forces  reached  Artois  and 
pushed  home  Maud'huy's  triumph.  But  the  French 
had  now  been  driven  west  from  Douai,  and  enor- 
mous columns  were  already  at  the  gates  of  Arras, 
with  strong  forces  pushing  the  French  left  through 
Lens  and  breaking  its  link  with  the  small  Lille  gar- 
rison. 

Maud'huy's  right  below  Arras  was  pushed  back 
west  of  the  first  Amiens  road,  losing  the  junction  of 
the  railway  that  joins  the  city  with  Amiens  and 
Bapaume  at  Achiet.  But  his  link  with  De  Castel- 
nau  was  not  pierced,  and  the  front  rested  firmly 
before  Monchy  and  Hebutern,  saving  the  trunk  road 
and  important  railway  through  Doullens.  And  his 
center  stood  firmly  round  Arras,  clinging  to  the 
ruins  of  Blangy  and  its  eastern  suburb  and  circling 
round  the  ancient  city,  so  intimately  connected  with 
French  history,  its  sorrows  and  its  glories. 

On  October  6  a  heavy  bombardment  raged  over 
the  lines  and  ruthlessly  battered  the  city  to  pieces, 
murdering  its  citizens,  destroying  its  famous  build- 
ings, and  wrecking  concrete  memorials  to  historic 
men  and  scenes.  The  first  targets  for  Kultur  were 

117 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  cathedral  and  the  ancient  Hotel  de  Ville  with 
its  magnificent  belfry  which  has  inspired  architects 
and  artists  of  all  countries  for  centuries.  Twice  the 
enemy  poured  over  the  obsolete  ramparts,  and  the 
streets  ran  with  blood  before  they  were  expelled. 

When  the  General  Staff  found  that  the  Aisne  Army 
was  passing  north,  the  Guard  Corps  under  the  Kais- 
er's eye  stormed  the  line  en  masse  nine  times  in  a 
desperate  effort  to  break  through  to  capture  the 
city  and  gain  the  main  roads  that  would  enable  their 
legions  to  swarm  over  the  plains  of  Artois  and  dam 
the  movement  north.  But  Maud  'huy  's  heroes  stood 
firm,  fulfilling  at  terrible  cost  Joffre's  order,  "Let 
the  last  man  die  before  Arras  falls!  " 

Above  Arras,  with  their  guns  on  advantageous 
ridges,  the  Germans  fought  their  way  over  the  hills 
across  the  roads  to  Lille  and  Bethune.  But  the 
French  line  held  them  there  firmly,  and  they  were 
unable  to  debouch  to  the  open  ground  westward  for 
the  flanking  movements  on  which  success  now  de- 
pended, and  where  the  main  roads  from  Paris  via 
Amiens  branched  for  the  deployment  of  Joffre's 
forces  above  Arras. 

We  skirted  the  front  and  through  Bethune,  eight- 
een miles  north,  as  the  battle  was  reaching  its  first 
fury  in  the  repeated  attacks  which  raged  for 
twenty-five  days.  But  soon  the  roads  were  again 
filled  with  bewildered  refugees  hurrying  from  every 
point  of  the  compass.  Women,  children  and  very 

118 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

old  men  from  the  Bethune  district  were  running  up 
the  roads  to  Estaires  and  Aire,  and  people  from 
Merville  were  hurrying  down  to  Bethune.  When 
they  mingled  and  turned  west, .frightened  villagers 
met  them  with  news  that  Hussars  and  motorcyclists 
were  lurking  along  the  road  to  Hazebrouck,  and 
patrols  were  swarming  in  the  forest  of  Nieppe.  Uh- 
lans and  machine  guns  were  also  reported  toward 
St.  Omer.  Then  the  truth  dawned  on  us.  The 
Arras  battle  was  not  the  high-water  mark  of  aggres- 
sion. Pas  de  Calais  and  the  Nord  were  invaded,  and 
the  Territorial  forces  of  these  departments  had  been 
moved  to  Lille  and  Maud'huy's  left  wing. 

Broad  roads  led  to  the  important  railroads  on 
which  the  armies  must  come  north;  inviting  routes 
were  open  above  Lille  direct  to  the  Channel  ports 
and  the  direct  communications  with  England.  On 
the  coast  were  the  cliffs  and  dunes  by  Grinez,  on 
which  the  German  flag  could  float  twenty-one  miles 
from  British  shores,  with  positions  for  siege  guns 
to  dominate  the  Straits  of  Dover,  to  cover  the 
planned  invasion  of  England,  and  at  extreme  range 
bombard  Folkestone  and  the  Dover  naval  base. 
The  Allied  dam  had  not  been  built  up  far  enough. 
Refugees  from  districts  north  of  Lille  had  seen  enor- 
mous masses  of  German  cavalry  and  horse  artillery, 
and  there  were  no  forces  to  cope  with  them. 

During  the  first  week  of  October  the  depleted  local 
garrison  of  Lille  had  fought  gallantly.  At  first  they 

119 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

had  been  driven  out.  Reenf  orced,  they  had  recap- 
tured the  city ;  reenf  orced,  the  Germans  later  retook 
it ;  reenf  orced,  the  French  got  back ;  reenf  orced,  the 
invaders  finally  went  in  to  stay  on  the  12th.  The 
citadel,  a  masterpiece  of  Vauban,  played  no  part  in 
the  defense;  the  capital  of  French  Flanders,  sev- 
enth city  of  the  Republic  and  queen  of  French  in- 
dustries, was  practically  an  open  town,  captured 
first  by  a  huge  sweep  of  cavalry  at  a  time  when  there 
were  no  troops  available  to  make  adequate  defense. 
And  with  only  scattered  handfuls  of  reserves  guard- 
ing railroads,  crossroads,  bridges  and  towns,  the 
northern  departments  were  open  to  the  enemy. 

Recall  the  exploits  of  Morgan,  Stuart,  Mosby, 
Grierson,  Wilson,  or  Stoneman.  For  a  leader  of 
their  class  in  early  October  the  conditions  for  a  stu- 
pendous and  effective  raid  were  ideal.  Six  divisions 
of  cavalry,  with  motorcyclists,  light  artillery,  ma- 
chine guns,  and  an  abundance  of  armored  automo- 
biles, were  available,  and  in  any  army  but  the  Ger- 
man, the  officers,  on  the  spot,  would  have  gathered 
their  forces  and  dashed  off  while  the  opportunity 
was  theirs.  But  with  Planmaessig  *  as  their  watch- 
word, the  German  forces  do  not  move  that  way. 
Everything  in  the  machine  must  be  coordinate  and 
subordinate  to  the  general  plan.  Its  strategy  aimed 
at  finality,  and  subordinate  initiative  was  forbidden. 
The  theory  of  envelopment  must  be  worked  out  on 

1  According  to  plan. 

120 


GERMAN  COLUMN  CROSSING  A  PONTOON  BRIDGE 


GERMAN  ARMY  FIELD  BAKERY 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

schedule.  The  ponderous  columns  reaching  Bel- 
gium had  to  move  up  for  deployment ;  Antwerp  must 
fall,  and  advance  guards  must  not  seek  premature 
engagements  while  the  front  was  developing  for  the 
decisive  attack  with  a  maximum  and  irresistible 
force. 

This  theory  had  sent  the  army  to  the  gates  of 
Paris,  and  only  failed  by  an  over-confident  flank. 
How  could  similar  masses  fail  in  a  second  invasion, 
with  a  solid  front,  wheeling  and  changing  direc- 
tion— the  right  protected  by  the  sea,  and  the  Allied 
armies  far  south  and  depleted  by  forces  necessary 
to  maintain  the  intrenched  front?  But  the  theory 
was  to  collapse  at  its  inception  when  challenged  by 
the  rapid  coordinate  initiative  of  independent  forces 
which  did  not  lose  an  hour  to  insure  their  safety,  or 
wait  for  plans  to  develop  when  speed  alone  could 
save  the  day.  The  German  staff  would  have  taken 
either  ten  weeks  or  ten  years  to  win  the  Civil  War. 
Instead  of  concentration  and  vigorous  action,  the 
cavalry  were  now  spread  fan-shaped  over  a  great  ter- 
rain, terrorizing  the  countryside,  to  pave  the  way 
for  the  general  advance  which  was  frustrated  in 
most  of  its  objects  by  the  arrival  of  the  armies  from 
the  Aisne  over  tracks  and  bridges  that  proper  pa- 
trols could  easily  have  destroyed.  "Die  Reiterei 
allseit  voran"  had  lost  its  trenchancy. 

Operating  above  Lens,  round  Bethune,  south  of 
Hazebrouck  and  near  Cassel  through  Bailleul,  oc- 

121 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

cupying  Warneton  and  Armentieres,  the  mounted 
troops  were  loafing  or  riding  into  Belgium  toward 
Menin  and  Ypres.  Everywhere  they  were  faced 
only  by  isolated  detachments  of  Territorial  reserves, 
as  they  waited  for  their  infantry  to  move  up.  Yet 
off  the  main  roads  we  looked  down  on  many  peaceful 
valleys  dotted  with  farms,  gardens  still  enameled 
with  flowers,  pleasant  villages  framed  by  trees,  on 
the  fertile  borders  of  France's  "black  country "  of 
solid  miles  of  factory  and  foundry.  The  Angelus 
rang  from  distant  belfries,  children  peered  through 
embowered  gates.  Peace  and  beauty  rested  on  the 
countryside,  for  the  war  had  seemed  very  far  away, 
and  rumor  had  traveled  slowly.  The  people  hardly 
heeded  the  distant  grumble  which  we  knew  was  not 
thunder  and  which  toward  evening  grew  louder.  At 
several  points  where  we  watched  clouds  of  dust  on  a 
sky  line  broken  by  the  tall  smokeless  chimneys  of 
Lille  and  Eoubaix,  French  troops  half  dead  with 
thirst  and  fatigue  were  plodding  over  the  slopes,  and 
the  swath  of  destruction  which  marks  German  war- 
fare was  starting  to  spread  like  prairie  fire,  oblit- 
erating church,  chateau  and  cottage  impartially. 

We  found  Hazebrouck  almost  normal,  considering 
its  danger.  We  ascended  a  hill  near  Cassel  where 
the  next  station  was  burned.  A  wide  view  could  be 
obtained,  and  farms  were  alight  in  several  direc- 
tions. Near  Caestre  we  could  hear  the  rattle  of 
rifles  north,  east  and  south,  where  isolated  Terri- 

122 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

torial  units  were  fighting.  We  passed  many  French 
Territorial  detachments  watching  for  boches,  who 
kept  off  the  main  roads  in  the  day.  Later  we  met 
a  cart  with  the  bodies  of  four  of  these  wonderful 
patriots.  Two  had  been  killed  outright,  and  two  who 
had  been  wounded  had  their  skulls  crushed  in,  for  a 
coup  de  grace.  One,  in  full  uniform,  was  a  courtly 
gentleman  of  the  old  school,  with  a  white  imperial. 
Two  were  apparently  small  storekeepers,  and  the 
fourth  a  farmer.  What  a  stupendous  insolence  for 
these  citizen-soldiers  to  defend  their  country,  this 
" rabble"  to  face  a  superior  force  of  German  sol- 
diers without  flinching!  The  miscreants  had  for- 
feited the  right  to  live — hence  the  crushed  skulls  of 
the  wounded  two.  Jolt  on,  French  patriots,  back  to 
your  villages  where  your  grandchildren  will  weep! 
An  odd  four  in  countless  thousands,  but  four  im- 
mortals who  taught  us  what  the  watchwords  "Hon- 
neur,  Patrie,  Gloire"  meant,  for  on  these  older  men, 
poorly  equipped,  rested  the  task  of  holding  up  an 
avalanche  until  help  arrived. 

In  times  of  peace  we  should  smile  at  the  last  lines 
of  the  French  army  as  a  fighting  force.  Of  the 
twenty-eight  classes  of  men  called  to  the  colors  by 
the  three-year  law,  each  regiment  has  its  actives, 
its  3,000  reservists,  and  3,000  territorials,  the  "reg- 
iments de  marche,"  with  5,000  territorial  reserves, 
older  men,  of  the  other  classes,  to  draw  on.  These 
men  of  middle  age,  family  men,  shopkeepers,  cob- 

123 


biers,  the  genial,  comfortable  bourgeoisie,  had  been 
gathered  by  mobilization  for  local  work.  And  on 
these  scattered  units  now  fell  the  task  of  checking 
operations  when  hordes  of  cavalry  started  across 
Nord  and  Pas  de  Calais,  giving  no  quarter.  My  pen 
can  do  feeble  justice  to  these  fathers  and  grand- 
fathers of  France  who  after  weeks  of  arduous  and 
lonely  vigil  suddenly  found  the  enemy  sweeping 
across  their  territory.  Nothing  could  make  a  more 
direct  appeal  to  the  American  heart  than  these  pa- 
triots, citizens,  slaughtered  in  thousands  when  de- 
fending their  native  soil.  Yet  what  space  has  been 
devoted  to  their  glorious  defense  in  the  pages  of 
praise  for  the  German  military  machine,  written  by 
the  pens  of  its  then  neutral  guests,  on  a  tour  of 
inspection,  in  this  very  district? 

Early  October  was  bitter  cold,  even  on  the  Aisne, 
and  farther  north  no  one  remembered  such  a  pene- 
trating rawness  which  chilled  to  the  marrow,  and 
added  enormously  to  the  hardships  of  the  unshel- 
tered troops  and  refugees.  It  was  the  aftermath  of 
excessive  precipitation  from  the  continual  artillery 
fire,  at  a  period  when  cyclonic  conditions  were  nor- 
mal. The  isolated  detachments  had  built  rude 
shacks  of  straw.  They  were  too  scattered  for  reg- 
ular commissariat,  but  women  and  children  tramped 
miles  daily  with  food.  Then  patrols  on  motorcycles, 
and  detachments  of  cavalry  stalked  them  and  shot 
them  down,  and  hundreds  of  miniature  battles  raged 

124 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

where  these  devoted  Frenchmen  held  villages  suc- 
cessfully and  fought  at  bridges  and  crossroads. 
And  it  was  amazing  to  see  how  aimless  the  German 
efforts  were,  unless  the  shooting  down  piecemeal  of 
middle-aged  shopkeepers,  on  isolated  guard  duty,  is 
a  military  achievement.  The  raiders  would  fight 
for  and  perhaps  capture  and  burn  a  wayside  station 
or  farm.  We  could  see  fires  in  most  contradictory 
places,  and  the  rattle  of  rifles  marked  skirmishes  at 
every  point  of  the  compass. 

No  one  seemed  to  know  what  was  happening.  To 
the  large  towns  women  and  children  fled,  many  giv- 
ing pitiful  evidence  of  shameful  treatment  at  lonely 
houses.  A  German  cyclist  detachment  held  up  and 
boarded  a  train  from  St.  Omer  to  Hazebrouck,  shoot- 
ing from  the  windows  the  unsuspecting  Territoriaux 
on  guard  along  the  railroad.  They  shot  up  Haze- 
brouck station,  and  killed  the  police,  railroad  por- 
ters, and  a  young  girl,  who  bravely  cried  a  warning. 
The  raid  accomplished  nothing  and  left  the  railroad 
intact. 

At  night  we  put  up  in  a  small  town  beyond  Haze- 
brouck. After  the  soporific  of  the  nightly  roar  of 
artillery  down  the  lines,  tense  silence  now  made  sleep 
for  us  difficult,  and  a  distant  rifle  shot  roused  us. 
We  soon  heard  shrieks,  shouts  and  distant  firing, 
then  shots  in  the  street  below.  There  elderly  re- 
servists, night  shirts  tucked  in  duck  trousers,  were 
crouching  in  doorways  and  firing  up  at  the  Square. 

125 


We  hurried  to  the  street,  and  heard  that  Uhlans  had 
"captured"  the  town.  But  the  sturdy  citizen  sol- 
diers, coolly  firing  up  three  streets  centering  on  the 
Place  d'Armes,  had  localized  the  "invasion." 

When  the  noise  aroused  the  people  who  lived  in 
the  square,  the  Germans  at  once  shot  at  all  lighted 
windows,  wounding  one  girl  severely,  others  having 
narrow  escapes  as  they  dressed.  Suddenly  a  Ger- 
man motorcyclist  turned  the  corner  so  sharply  that 
he  nearly  swept  me  off  the  narrow  walk,  shouting 
warnings  as  he  fled.  With  a  clatter  of  hoofs  on  the 
wet  cobbles,  a  troop  of  French  Reserve  Dragoons, 
warned  by  telephone,  galloped  up  the  street,  the 
Uhlans  mounting  and  flying  before  them.  Some  of 
us  raced  up  the  road  after  the  pursuers.  Carbine 
shots  whistled  overhead  as  the  Germans  fired  back  at 
random  to  check  pursuit,  but  the  French — reservists, 
remember — rode  like  demons  up  the  Meteren  Road. 
The  night  was  bitterly  raw ;  the  horsemen  soon  out- 
distanced us.  A  house  was  blazing  on  the  horizon ; 
a  splutter  of  shots  alone  broke  the  silence,  until  a 
riderless  horse  galloped  down  the  road  and  charged 
me  when  I  tried  to  stop  it.  Another  fire  started  in 
the  distance,  with  faint  but  regular  volleys,  again 
shots  nearer,  and  a  woman's  agonizing  scream. 
Then  a  confused  scuffling  of  hoofs,  shouts,  shots  and 
curses  down  the  road.  Two  French  troopers  rode 
back,  one  wounded  and  held  in  his  saddle  by  his 
comrade.  "Cornered  some  in  the  farm  yard,"  was 

126 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

his  laconic  reply.  We  finally  found  the  farm,  but  all 
was  dark  and  silent,  and  we  went  back  to  bed.  But 
daylight  revealed  two  dead  troopers  and  a  writhing 
horse  there.  Multiply  these  incidents  by  hundreds 
and  you  have  the  trivial  story  of  the  achievement  of 
one  of  the  greatest  independent  cavalry  commands 
in  history.  Evidently  the  Germans  were  not  expect- 
ing the  prompt  Franco-British  rush  north. 

Even  the  German  communicating  patrols  and  con- 
necting posts  were  ineffectively  arranged,  and  far 
too  obvious,  through  their  desire  to  shoot  down  small 
detachments.  They  threw  the  countryside  into  a 
turmoil,  which  gave  the  French  troopers  precise  in- 
formation when  they  came  up.  French  cavalry 
screens  were  far  more  silent  and  cleverly  invisible. 
Many  horses  and  riders  were  draped  in  a  bower  of 
evergreen  which  made  the  brilliant  uniforms  more 
neutral  than  the  clever  blue-gray  of  the  Teutons. 

I  should  prefer  to  avoid  writing  of  atrocities,  or, 
by  magnifying  a  sense  of  proportion,  ascribe  the  acts 
to  brutal  individuals.  But  the  evidence  was  so  posi- 
tive in  the  new  war  zone  that  a  benevolent  Phila- 
delphia minister,  caught  by  chance  in  the  district, 
and  who  had  both  seen  and  investigated,  told  me  that 
what  the  Allies  needed  were  tanks  of  boiling  oil  for 
the  prisoners.  Certainly  mounted  patrols  caught 
on  the  Meteren-Bailleul  road  should  have  been 
hanged.  So  much  reflected  the  spirit  of  the  German 
poet  who  attempted  an  epic  in  the  soldiers'  paper 

127 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

printed  in  Lille,  including  this  Christian  admonition : 

Oh !  Germany  now  hate !     Clad  in  Bronze  take  no  prisoners, 
To  each  enemy  a  bayonet  thrust  through  the  heart, 
Silence  all,  and  make  a  desert  of  the  surrounding  country. 

The  beloved  Abbe  Bogaert,  Cure  of  Pradelles,  a 
village  just  east  of  Hazebrouck,  on  the  upper  road 
to  Bailleul,  was  ordered  by  a  group  of  impatient 
officers  to  take  them  to  the  tower  of  the  church  for 
observation.  He  explained  that  the  sacristan  had 
the  key  and  had  fled.  "Liar,"  thundered  one  bully. 
"Break  the  door  down,  then  shoot  this  hound." 
And  the  unfortunate  priest  was  murdered  in  cold 
blood.  This  fact  was  reported  to  Rome  as  from 
Pradelles,  the  volcanic  town  in  the  Velay,  and  thus 
brushed  aside  as  a  canard.  The  incident  was  typical 
of  hundreds. 

An  American,  an  agent  for  electrical  supplies,  left 
his  wife  and  three  young  daughters  for  the  summer 
in  a  country  house  near  Lille  while  he  returned  home 
on  business.  Caught  suddenly  in  the  swirl  of  the 
war,  these  unprotected  Americans  fell  victims  to  a 
certain  group  of  under-officers,  and  endured  appall- 
ing experiences  at  their  hands.  When  they  were 
able  to  appeal  for  protection  to  a  higher  officer  they 
were  treated  with  great  respect  and  kindness,  and 
some  weeks  later  were  able  to  return  home  via  Ger- 
many. This  true  story  appears  incredible  and  the 
details  may  never  be  published,  as  the  victims'  lips 
are  naturally  sealed,  though  some  friends  have  urged 

128 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  PLOWS  NORTH 

the  frantic  father  to  report  the  facts  to  Washington 
as  a  public  duty.  The  first  thing  that  greeted  these 
weeping  people  on  landing  in  New  York  was  the  pos- 
ter of  a  current  attraction — advertising  a  sextette 
of  vapid  girls  and  youths  who  shook  silken  ankles 
over  the  footlights  to  the  strains  of  "I  did  not  raise 
my  boy  to  be  a  soldier. ' ' 

War  in  itself  does  not  brutalize.  Many  of  us 
who  have  been  under  fire  many  times  in  various 
climes  have  never  returned  from  a  campaign  without 
experiencing  a  severe  shock  at  the  amenities  of  civ- 
ilization, the  selfish  commercial  scramble,  the  lack  of 
human  sympathy,  the  distorted  standards  of  broth- 
erhood, in  sharp  contrast  to  the  spirit  engendered  by 
war  conditions  where  every  man  is  a  comrade,  every 
luxury  must  be  shared  in  common,  and  many  unwrit- 
ten codes  are  enforced  by  the  spiritual  stimuli  of 
danger  and  death.  We  can  recall  men  vividly  to- 
day who  were  Tenderloin  rounders  until  they  fought 
in  Cuba  or  South  Africa  and  were  utterly  changed 
by  the  realities  of  the  campaign.  To-day  they  are 
popular  and  public-spirited  citizens.  The  horrors 
of  war  will  bring  reward  to  the  survivors,  and  re- 
generate many  effeminate  youths  who  have  sneered 
at  the  National  Guard  and  wasted  their  energy  at 
tango  teas. 

In  your  morning  paper  you  read  that  a  new  battle 
front  had  formed,  and  experts  added  more  parallel 
lines  across  the  war  map.  Geographically  and  in 

129 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

general  the  war  news  of  the  American  press  has 
been  wonderfully  correct  and  worthy  of  praise. 
But  as  you  looked  at  the  black  lines  did  you  have  any 
realization  of  what  they  meant?  Try  to  visualize 
the  scene. 

Early  October  in  the  peaceful  French  lowlands! 
The  busy  industrial  districts  of  Lille,  where  women 
were  splendidly  doing  the  bulk  of  the  work  while  the 
men  fought,  and  the  flood  of  invasion  had  flowed 
toward  Paris.  Then  shots,  shouts,  a  clatter  of 
hoofs,  as  cavalry  patrols  scampered  through  the  vil- 
lages— the  first  hints  that  the  tidal  wave  of  war  was 
surging  in  their  direction. 

On  the  farms  the  men  were  gone.  The  women  and 
children  would  hear  hoarse  commands  in  an  alien 
tongue,  as  cavalry  or  a  cyclist  detachment  of  the 
dreaded  enemy  rode  up.  Protection  there  was  none 
and  sometimes  none  was  needed.  Food  and  shelter 
must  be  given,  and  secrecy.  The  advanced  parties 
would  frequently  sleep  all  day,  with  sentries  guard- 
ing the  family  in  the  attic.  If  grandfather  could  not 
curb  his  tongue,  or  looked  surly,  there  was  generally 
trouble,  ending  in  a  shooting  or  hanging,  and  if  the 
cellar  stored  wine,  and  the  women  were  comely,  un- 
pleasantness, trivial  at  first,  would  rapidly  develop 
into  tragedy  at  nightfall,  unless  some  one  possessed 
extreme  tact.  Tears  at  the  outset  often  averted  in- 
sult, where  spirited  resentment  at  a  kiss  or  rough 
horseplay  sometimes  stimulated  appalling  outrage. 

130 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

Bavarians  bivouacked  on  one  farm  two  days,  but 
slept  in  a  cow  shed  so  as  not  to  upset  a  sick  woman. 
They  cleared  up  the  place,  chopped  wood  and  over- 
paid for  all  they  had.  Very  near,  two  girls  were' 
forced  to  dance  naked,  until  an  officer  arrived  and 
cut  short  the  orgy  with  a  horsewhip.  At  Bailleul  a 
few  women  were  shockingly  treated,  while  refugees 
that  we  talked  to  on  the  Merville  road  had  been 
given  bread  and  cheese  by  Uhlans  who  must  have 
needed  it  themselves.  All  the  peasants  over- 
taken on  the  road  were  robbed  of  their  money.  The 
Westphalian  Hussars,  Seventh  Corps,  were  special 
ruffians.  In  the  Nieppe  woods,  near  French  troops, 
a  patrol  hanged  a  farmer  because  he  told  them  to  go 
to  the  devil  when  they  roused  him  from  his  bed  at 
midnight  for  military  information.  Shivering  in 
her  nightdress,  the  screaming  wife  lit  the  scene  with 
her  candle,  and  at  daylight  she  was  still  sobbing 
in  the  cold  by  the  body  she  had  pulled  down  too 
late. 

So  on  every  road,  with  thoroughness  and  some 
frightfulness,  the  antennas  of  the  invaders  were  rest- 
ing before  feeling  their  way  to  the  coast,  a  waste 
of  precious  time  before  the  real  advance  followed. 
And  back  of  Lille  and  Courtrai,  thousands  of  troops 
of  all  branches  were  massing  and  losing  time  to  per- 
fect every  detail  before  following  the  forces  spread 
over  a  front  marked  by  Lens,  Bethune,  Merville  and 
Cassel  into  Belgium,  and  only  two  days '  march  from 

131 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  coast.  A  few  regiments  could  have  seized  and 
held  strategic  points  soon  essential  for  German  suc- 
cess. 

In  a  short  time  guns  crowded  the  hills,  and  as  soon 
as  the  avalanche  started,  they  pounded  every  town 
or  village  within  range,  regardless  of  noncombat- 
ants,  and  often  when  there  were  no  French  troops 
near.  But  waiting  for  Antwerp  to  fall,  to  release 
forces  in  Belgium,  masses  of  cavalry  had  been  wast- 
ing time,  perhaps  sparing  the  railroads  for  later  use, 
while  scores  of  French  troop  trains  were  loading 
from  the  Aisne  to  rush  the  Allies  north  under  their 
very  noses,  to  fill  the  gap  of  fifty-one  miles  from 
Maud'huy's  left  to  the  Belgian  coast. 

The  first  troop  trains  started  up  with  French 
troops  bound  for  Belgium,  but  they  were  diverted  to 
reenforce  the  Arras  army.  The  men  came  up  by 
night,  and  at  daylight  the  emptied  trains  went  back 
with  stores  and  retrieved  freight  on  the  flat  cars  as 
masks.  Aeroplanes  which  caught  a  distant  view 
reported  numerous  trains  going  south,  probably 
taking  down  some  of  Kitchener's  forces.  When  the 
Allies  realized  how  the  German  tidal  wave  was  flow- 
ing back  to  North  France,  the  race  was  against  time, 
and  trains  came  north  every  twelve  minutes,  the 
route  covered  by  French  fliers  who  kept  inquisitive 
machines  away,  though  from  the  air  the  procession 
of  empty  trains  maintaining  the  same  headway  south 
might  have  proved  puzzling. 

132 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

There  was  delay  and  congestion  between  Staples 
and  Boulogne,  due  to  the  switching  and  drilling  of 
some  trains  at  Hesdigneul  from  the  main  Calais  line. 
But  the  work  of  transferring  the  French  and  British 
armies  was  wonderfully  done  by  the  government 
control  of  the  railroads,  which  automatically  became 
military  without  hitch  or  friction,  by  placing  a  guard 
at  every  station,  and  giving  the  railroad  staff  mili- 
tary hats.  French  railroad  efficiency  is  proverbial ; 
the  trains  are  also  the  fastest  in  the  world.  Becall- 
ing  confusion  in  Tampa  in  1898,  the  simplicity  of  the 
French  system  deserves  notice  in  the  United  States, 
for  a  stroke  of  the  pen  and  a  change  of  uniform  only 
were  necessary. 

Antwerp  fell  with  astonishing  suddenness  October 
10,  after  a  terrific  bombardment  of  twelve  days. 
Von  Beseler's  siege  artillery  outranged  the  defend- 
ing guns,  and  pulverized  the  forts,  most  of  which 
had  been  evacuated.  The  Belgian  army  crossed  the 
Scheldt  behind  the  civil  population,  and  made  a  de- 
tour, getting  round  the  end  of  the  German  lines  be- 
fore the  shattered  city  surrendered,  to  avoid  de- 
struction. The  capitulation  was  a  severe  blow  to 
the  Allies. 

Antwerp 's  fall  was  the  signal  for  the  Wurttemberg 
army  to  start  across  Belgium,  only  to  find  that  the 
British  Seventh  Division  and  cavalry,  too  late  to 
reach  the  fortress  from  Ostend,  were  marching 
across  its  path.  They  were  soon  joined  by  the 

133 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

French  marines,  and  von  Beseler's  forces,  moving 
along  the  coast,  had  been  able  to  shell  only  the  rear 
of  the  escaping  Belgians.  The  German  forces  on 
the  Lys,  headed  by  cavalry,  swung  forward  to  head 
off  King  Albert 's  army  but  met  a  decided  check  from 
the  unexpected  British  cavalry  while  the  Belgians 
marched  toward  France  intact.  Finally  the  small 
forces  of  the  three  Allies  turned  at  bay  on  a  pitifully 
thin  line  to  check  the  sweep  across  Belgium  until 
help  arrived. 

The  fall  of  Antwerp  was  the  tocsin  also  for  the 
Bavarians  to  start  forward  across  Pas  de  Calais. 
But  the  forces  from  the  Aisne  were  now  detraining, 
and  the  French  cavalry  which  had  guarded  Maud- 
'huy's  flank  was  freed  to  move  north  in  conjunction 
with  the  British  mounted  divisions. 

Too  late  German  demolition  detachments  scurried 
down  by  night,  to  destroy  railroads,  and  the  cavalry 
pushed  forward  to  seize  bridges  and  important 
points.  An  improvised  Corps  de  Mitrailleurs,  Bel- 
gian and  British,  scoured  the  roads  with  armored 
cars.  The  usually  brilliant  spies  also  failed  every- 
where except  in  one  derailment  on  the  main  line  be- 
low Calais,  which  caught  a  troop  train  returning 
loaded  with  homeless  women  and  children,  400  of 
whom  were  killed  as  the  cars  plunged  from  the  steep 
embankment.  With  horse  artillery,  machine  guns, 
bicycle  detachments,  Jaeger  companies  and  supply 
trains,  the  now  futile  cavalry  divisions  moved  down 

134 


several  roads  west  of  Lille,  followed  by  the  advance 
guard  of  the  Bavarian  columns. 

"Formations  be  d !  Get  up  the  road  as  far  as 

you  can  and  fight!"  was  one  British  order,  and  it 
epitomized  the  new  campaign  of  the  Allies.  Unlike 
the  Germans,  they  wasted  no  time  on  ornate  plans 
or  submissive  strategy  and  tactics.  The  cavalry 
and  some  troops  in  motor  vans  and  busses  came  up 
from  the  Aisne  by  road,  and  wiped  up  Uhlans  at 
Bethune  on  October  11.  Some  of  the  British  bat- 
teries had  not  fully  refitted  after  earlier  battles. 
There  were  teams  with  only  a  lead  driver,  wheel 
and  center  horses  being  driven  by  the  limber  gunners 
with  rope  reins.  Batteries  were  commanded  by  sub- 
alterns; sections  by  sergeants.  But  as  each  unit, 
horse,  foot  or  guns  arrived,  either  in  the  Bethune 
district  or  on  the  St.  Omer-Hazebrouck  railroad,  it 
was  started  off  up  some  designated  road  to  the  front. 

A  Bavarian  cavalry  column  hurried  down  the  road 
from  Haubourdin  and  extended  between  Salome  and 
Estaires,  overwhelming  and  annihilating  some 
French  squadrons.  But  as  they  touched  the  border 
of  Pas  de  Calais  a  fleet  of  airships  came  up,  and 
working  in  relays,  rained  bombs  and  les  Heches  on 
them,  the  tiny  arrows  breaking  up  formations  in  the 
most  novel  fight  of  the  war,  which  ended  when  Brit- 
ish and  French  troopers  charged  on  each  flank,  and 
the  Germans  withdrew.  Two  regiments  of  French 
Cuirassiers  then  gained  their  rear  by  crossing  the 

135 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Lys  in  flood  during  the  night,  a  trooper  swimming 
across  with  guide  ropes  under  the  nose  of  the  sen- 
tries. This  caused  the  only  brilliant  move  of  the 
German  cavalry  to  fail  utterly.  They  retreated, 
covered  by  rear  guards,  and  apparently  were  with- 
out orders  to  fight. 

Anglo-French  cavalry  saved  Bethune  by  a  nar- 
row margin  with  its  star  of  important  roads.  The 
Germans,  however,  still  held  the  pyramid  slag  heaps 
of  Lens  firmly,  and  from  Douai  poured  men  and 
guns  up  the  Estaires  road.  Far  from  supports,  in- 
stead of  retiring  as  good  troopers  should,  the  Allied 
cavalrymen  borrowed  spades  from  the  farms,  dug  in, 
and  held  as  infantry  east  of  the  town,  until  Smith- 
Dorrien  arrived  and  augmented  the  line  with  the 
British  Second  Corps,  and  built  it  up  after  a  score  of 
individual  battles  had  been  fought.  The  right  of  the 
Second  Corps  gained  some  ground  before  Bethune 
and,  extending  toward  Vermelles,  joined  hands  with 
the  left  of  the  Tenth  French  Army  on  the  Arras- 
Lens  front.  Bethune  was  a  serious  loss  to  the  Ger- 
mans, who  had  sacrificed  thousands  of  men  to  gain 
a  footing  along  hills  on  the  main  road  from  Arras  at 
Lorette  and  Souchez,  but  lost  the  cities  at  each  end. 
Bethune  gave  the  British  a  valuable  advanced 
base,  with  the  vats  of  beet  sugar  refineries  as  baths 
for  the  clothes  and  person  of  the  cleanly  Thomas 
Atkins. 

The  Germans,  however,  took  up  a  position  at  La 

136 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

Bassee,  along  the  main  road  running  north  from 
Lens  to  Estaires,  where  brick  fields  and  ridges  gave 
them  a  strong  line  of  defenses  for  scores  of  machine 
guns  and  heavy  artillery.  For  a  few  days  the  4.3 
field  howitzers  shelled  Bethune  ineffectively,  but 
the  batteries  withdrew  as  the  British  consolidated 
their  lines  three  miles  east  of  the  city,  and  got  their 
few  field  guns  into  action  from  cleverly  masked  posi- 
tions near  the  front. 

Its  right  checked  at  La  Bassee,  the  left  of  the 
British  Second  Corps,  north  of  Bethune,  fought  its 
way  forward,  driving  the  Germans  back  nine  miles 
to  the  Aubers  ridge  and  along  the  boundary  of  Pas 
de  Calais,  the  spirited  advance  only  being  checked 
by  a  mass  of  artillery  rushed  out  from  Lille,  to  which 
the  British  could  make  no  adequate  reply.  In  this 
brilliant  fighting  the  British  lost  General  Hamilton 
and  half  of  the  strength  of  the  units  engaged,  but 
they  had  gained  a  big  section  of  the  main  road  north, 
above  La  Bassee,  though  weeks  of  desperate  fighting 
subsequently  modified  their  front. 

While  Smith-Dorrien  was  creating  his  lines,  the 
French  and  British  cavalry  had  continued  their 
sweep  northeast  to  clear  the  front  toward  Belgium. 
The  French  cavalry  under  Conneau  had  first  cleared 
the  Nieppe  forest,  having  special  trouble  with  cy- 
clists backed  by  machine  guns,  who  pushed  through 
Aire  and  operated  with  special  dash  around  Haze- 
brouck  until  rounded  up.  Conneau  then  cooperated 

137 


•UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

with  the  British,  while  their  Third  Corps  was  de- 
training at  St.  Omer.  He  relieved  and  then  sup- 
ported Gough's  cavalry  brigade,  which  was  flanking 
and  routing  the  huge  cavalry  forces  which  had  loafed 
in  the  Bailleul  district  for  eight  days,  looting,  and 
maltreating  women  while  they  waited  for  the  plan 
to  develop.  The  Sixth  Division,  Bavarian  Cavalry, 
proved  more  adept  at  making  girls  dance  naked  than 
at  destroying  bridges  or  erecting  defenses. 

By  October  15  the  French  and  British  cavalry 
were  holding  all  the  towns,  villages,  and  bridges  on 
the  Lys  to  Armentieres,  twelve  miles  above  Lille. 
Here  they  recaptured  the  railroad  in  a  spectacular 
raid,  blew  up  flimsy  barricades  and  galloped  into 
that  important  city.  Two  British  squadrons  with 
machine  guns  went  right  on  to  Warneton,  and  rode 
into  the  heart  of  the  town,  which  was  hastily  evac- 
uated. Houses  were  loopholed,  and  they  prepared 
for  defense  in  the  square,  sending  back  for  help. 
When  the  insignificance  of  the  force  was  appreciated, 
a  German  regiment  opened  an  attack  from  adjacent 
streets.  The  handful  of  heroes  held  out  until  their 
machine  guns  were  useless,  and  as  reinforcements 
were  not  reported,  they  crept  to  their  horses  after 
dark  and  galloped  out.  Warneton  was  the  center  of 
the  hop  industry,  and  the  fields  were  carefully  pro- 
tected for  subsequent  German  use. 

But  Armentieres,  captured  under  the  noses  of  a 
Saxon  Corps,  gave  the  Allies  important  roads  to  Bel- 

138 


THE  GERMAN  FLOOD  FLOWS  NORTH 

gium  and  a  railroad  junction ;  and  units  of  the  Third 
Corps  hurried  up,  after  the  resourceful  cavalry  had 
intrenched  on  a  line  well  east  of  the  town.  The 
British  repelled  desperate  attempts  to  recapture  Ar- 
mentieres,  and  its  loss  sent  several  high  German 
officers  to  retirement. 

Heavy  artillery  soon  rendered  the  railroad  use- 
less, but  in  further  retaliation  the  city  itself  was 
bombarded  without  notice,  though  it  was  unfortified 
and  used  only  for  the  wounded.  The  Chamber  of 
Commerce  met  and  sent  an  appeal  to  Washington, 
pointing  out  that  only  noncombatants  were  suffer- 
ing. The  faith  we  found  in  the  justice  of  the  United 
States  was  touching,  and  as  we  saw  a  hundred  pretty 
towns  and  villages,  well  behind  the  firing  line,  ruth- 
lessly bombarded,  and  trembled  with  rage  as  rows  of 
tiny  coffins  passed  us,  and  as  we  watched  mangled 
heaps  that  had  been  a  girl  of  twenty  and  a  pretty  tot 
of  three,  we  wondered  if  neutrality  should  silence 
official  protest? 

After  a  series  of  semi-independent  battles,  the  two 
British  Corps,  by  October  17,  had  masked  the  Lille 
front  with  an  irregular  and  thin  but  effective  line 
between  Vermelles  to  the  Belgian  frontier — north  of 
which  hardly  pressed  mixed  forces  now  stretched 
precariously  across  Belgium — to  the  sea.  There 
was  not  a  single  unit  in  actual  reserve  along  the  en- 
tire line.  This  was  a  radical  modification  of  the 
original  Allied  plan  of  seizing  Bethune  and  pivoting 

139 


UNDER  FOUE  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  line  there  across  the  German  right  above  Arras. 
But  the  German  armies  were  now  firmly  checked  in 
their  rush  to  the  Channel  ports,  and  strategically 
the  victory  was  with  the  Allies. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

DUBINQ  the  early  stages  of  the  arrival  and  de- 
ployment of  the  British  army,  it  was  an  easy  ride 
from  Hazebrouck  to  Belgium  where  the  field  forces 
and  garrison  of  Antwerp  were  being  hotly  pursued 
to  the  frontier.  We  dined  one  night  with  a  relative 
of  the  War  Minister,  a  clean-cut  lieutenant  carrying 
dispatches  from  London.  He  dashed  off  by  motor- 
cycle after  dark  to  reach  Bruges,  but  the  next  morn- 
ing, covered  with  mud,  he  rode  into  the  square  at 
Fumes,  where  we  had  gone  before  breakfast.  He 
had  encountered  big  German  forces  on  two  roads, 
escaping  by  a  miracle.  The  Belgian  army  appeared 
to  be  cut  off. 

Owing  to  efficient  censorship,  the  people  in  Flan- 
ders were  not  greatly  worried.  But  we  passed  some 
heavy  drays  unostentatiously  carrying  the  priceless 
art  treasures  of  Belgium  to  safety.  M.  Dommartin, 
State  Librarian,  and  Deputy  de  Grott  deserve  the 
thanks  of  the  civilized  world  for  saving  part  of  the 
matchless  art  of  Flanders  from  destruction.  Alas, 
the  mishap  to  one  wagon  left  Jordaen's  wonderful 
"Adoration"  stranded  at  Dixmude,  where  it  was  de- 

141 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

stroyed,  with  its  cover  of  theatrical  scenery  tied  over 
to  protect  it.  We  found  the  officials  in  Fumes 
keenly  anxious  to  learn  the  fate  of  the  plucky  Bel- 
gian army  risking  annihilation  in  the  interior,  with 
disturbing  reports  of  the  enemy  from  every  direc- 
tion. The  civil  government  was  moving  from  Os- 
tend  to  Havre ;  the  leading  newspapers  were  chang- 
ing their  offices  to  London. 

From  Dunkirk,  Admiral  Eonarch  had  taken  his 
famous  brigade  of  Marine  Fusiliers  to  Belgium. 
These  Breton  lads,  without  naval  experience,  led  by 
France's  youngest  Admiral,  marched  to  the  Bruges- 
Ghent  road  to  help  the  Belgian  army.  We  now 
heard  of'  the  mysterious  British  force  also  fighting 
in  the  interior.  At  Antwerp 's  eleventh  hour  Kitch- 
ener had  rushed  General  Rawlinson  with  part  of  the 
Fourth  Corps  to  Ostend  to  help.  This  force,  the 
Seventh  Infantry  Division  under  Capper,  and 
Byng's  cavalry  division,  had  landed  just  too  late. 
Prudence  dictated  a  return  to  the  transports,  but 
this  meager  force  hurried  over  to  meet  the  menace 
of  Wurttemberg  columns  moving  up  the  Alost  and 
Ghent  roads  against  the  flank  of  the  approaching 
Belgians.  Then  disquieting  news  came  of  German 
cavalry  with  artillery  from  Tournai,  moving  north 
of  Lille  through  Menin,  where  they  soon  occupied 
strong  positions  on  the  hills  and  ridges  south  of 
Ypres.  Thus  the  Belgians,  and  the  French  and 
British  operating  with  them,  had  the  enemy  advanc- 

142 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

ing  on  three  sides:  von  Beseler  hurrying  through 
Bruges  from  Antwerp,  Wurttemberg  columns  march- 
ing down  the  Ghent  roads,  and  Bavarian  mobile 
forces  pushing  northwest  across  the  lines  of  retreat, 
with  the  North  Sea  to  complete  the  quadrangle. 

Biding  beyond  Furnes,  we  strained  our  ears  for 
the  guns !  Dame  Rumor  was  busy,  but  truthful,  for 
the  Germans  were  already  marching  from  Antwerp 
along  the  coast,  though  trams  for  refugees  ran  to  the 
last  moment,  and  the  Allies  held  open  a  gap  between 
Bruges  and  Ghent.  Motor  cars  were  tearing  down 
from  Antwerp,  each  with  a  thrilling  story;  and 
women  and  children  babbling  hysterically  from 
their  terrible  experiences  of  the  siege  and  flight. 
The  population  of  a  large  slice  of  Belgium  was  in 
flight.  The  faster  cars  were  followed  by  a  steady 
procession  of  military  and  civilian  vehicles  of  every 
description,  hurrying  madly  to  apparent  safety 
across  the  French  frontier.  The  cry  of  that  vast 
multitude  must  have  reached  the  Throne  of  God. 
It  was  borne  on  the  air  as  the  pitiful  plaint  of  flocks 
of  parched  sheep  being  driven  from  drought,  grow- 
ing louder  and  clearer  until  the  human  tones  of 
fright  and  despair  gripped  our  throats.  It  was 
heartrending.  Magnificent  limousines;  delivery 
vans;  taxicabs,  crowded  with  frantic  women  and 
children ;  and  armored  cars  full  of  wounded,  led  the 
way.  Cavalry  and  artillery  followed,  and  every 
species  of  vehicle,  loaded  with  civilian  fugitives — 

143 


UNDER  FOUE  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

soldiers  and  citizens  inextricably  mixed.  A  squad- 
ron of  lancers  rode  their  magnificent  but  jaded 
horses  proudly,  and  carried  a  standard  riddled  and 
charred  from  a  bursting  shell.  Many  of  the  soldiers 
were  wounded;  the  civilian  equipages  carried  hun- 
dreds of  sick  people.  Field  batteries  later  rumbled 
along,  the  guns  scored  and  useless  because  obsolete 
shells  without  driving  bands  had  been  used,  a  further 
proof  of  Belgian  "aggression"  which  sent  most  of 
their  guns  to  the  scrap  heap.  Military  cars,  riddled 
transport  wagons,  field  telegraph  and  ambulances, 
were  mixed  with  the  vehicles  of  farm  and  city. 

Along  the  mud  troughs  beside  the  paves  strode  the 
people  from  nearer  towns,  all  fleeing  frantically  be- 
fore the  advancing  Germans.  Surely  something 
more  tangible  than  idle  rumor  was  impelling  these 
thousands  to  mad  flight.  For  three  days  without  a 
break,  processions  poured  into  France  along  the  dif- 
ferent roads:  infantry,  civilians,  and  patient  dogs 
drawing  everything  from  machine  guns  to  carts 
bearing  cots  with  dying  people  who  dared  not  face 
the  German  terror.  The  weary  women  and  children 
tramped  until  they  fell  from  exhaustion,  slept  in  wet 
grass  by  the  roadside,  and  fled  on  again,  looking 
back  furtively.  Many  years  of  campaigning  and 
travel  in  wild  places  had  failed  to  prepare  me  for 
such  wholesale  suffering  of  the  simple,  prosperous 
people  martyred  for  keeping  their  word. 

Many  of  the  cars  also  were  spattered  by  shrapnel 

144 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

slugs,  and  several  civilians  were  wounded,  because 
at  one  place  a  German  field  battery,  noticing  sol- 
diers, wounded  stragglers  retreating  with  the  last  of 
the  column,  had  fired  several  indiscriminate  rounds. 
As  the  range  was  luckily  short,  the  minimum  of  the 
time  fuses  was  a  fraction  too  long,  so  the  shells  had 
buried  themselves  in  the  beet  fields  before  they  ex- 
ploded, or  the  loss  of  innocent  lives  must  have  been 
terrible.  The  Germans  are  full  of  sentiment  but 
they  are  utterly  lacking  in  sympathy.  These  people 
had  opposed  them — therefore  no  mercy.  Their  ha- 
tred of  the  Belgians  was  intense,  their  prejudice, 
infantile. 

I  recalled  scenes  of  another  war.  When  the  Span- 
iards retreated  from  El  Caney,  every  American  gun 
was  masked  because  a  few  women  and  children  were 
fleeing  to  Santiago  with  the  soldiers.  And  as  I  lis- 
tened to  stories  of  these  Belgian  people,  of  towns 
bombarded  without  notice,  of  houses  burned,  and 
hostages  executed,  I  remembered  that  every  non- 
combatant  from  Santiago  was  escorted  into  the 
American  lines  before  a  shell  was  fired  at  the  city; 
and  the  people,  including  many  families  of  Spanish 
soldiers,  were  fed  by  an  overworked  commissary,  the 
troops  giving  up  their  scanty  rations  without  a  mur- 
mur. Also  that  thousands  of  unprotected  women 
and  girls,  going  from  Santiago  to  Siboney,  slept  in 
the  woods  unmolested,  on  the  American  line  of  com- 
munication. If  there  were  tents  available,  the  men 

145 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

gave  them  up ;  and  not  an  insult  or  coarse  word  was 
uttered. 

The  Belgian  army  proved  the  ordeal  it  had  faced 
by  the  number  of  wounded  who  marched  in  its  ranks. 
The  spirit  of  the  men  was  unbroken.  They  were 
clean-cut,  self-respecting  soldiers — the  first  and  re- 
maining impression  being  the  way  they  looked  you 
straight  in  the  eye.  These  were  not  impressed  peas- 
ants, but  skillful  artisans — the  material  which  has 
made  Belgium  industrially  great — their  natty  uni- 
forms helping  to  make  their  bearing  a  striking  con- 
trast to  the  stolid  German  prisoners  marching  sul- 
lenly with  them  to  Fumes. 

Not  only  Antwerp  but  conquered  Belgium  was 
again  in  flight ;  fear  had  been  spread  over  Flanders 
Orient,  and,  in  Flanders  Occident,  also,  the  people 
were  starting  to  flee.  Recalling  incidents  of  which 
I  positively  knew  in  North  France,  the  course  could 
only  be  commended.  In  the  face  of  it  all  the  mind 
clouded  and  recoiled,  to  see  how  the  secure  comfort 
and  essentials  of  the  material  civilization  of  which 
we  boast  can  be  blotted  out  in  a  flash.  The  tenets 
of  "noblesse  oblige"  have  no  power  to  restrain  the 
mailed  fist  of  Prussia. 

To  disarrange  a  German  plan  is  often  as  effica- 
cious as  a  decisive  victory,  though  if  the  plan  ma- 
tures it  is  generally  irresistible.  By  brilliant  initia- 
tive and  rapid  offensives  when  opportunity  invited, 
the  French  and  British  forces  that  had  failed  to  help 

146 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

Antwerp  not  only  checked  the  huge  forces  that 
planned  to  wipe  out  the  Belgian  Army,  but  effec- 
tively cooperated  with  King  Albert's  troops,  and 
spoiled  the  junction  of  the  German  Armies  crossing 
Belgium  with  the  forces  north  of  Lille;  and  they 
stopped  these  tidal  waves  from  inundating  North 
France  to  the  sea. 

The  British  Seventh  Division  had  neither  base  nor 
line  of  communication,  and  was  threatened  on  three 
sides.  With  Bonarch's  Marines,  this  command  fell 
back  stubbornly,  after  covering  the  Belgian  retire- 
ment. Faced  by  superior  forces,  they  moved  from 
the  Bruges-Ghent  front  by  a  forced  march  through 
the  night  of  the  12th,  some  units  covering  forty-eight 
miles,  as  the  column  withdrew  through  Eoulers  and 
was  completely  cleared  from  contact  with  the  pursu- 
ing army  corps,  on  the  13th.  Byng's  cavalry  rode 
hard  in  advance,  and  had  already  surprised  and 
checked  the  Germans  pushing  up  in  rear  of  Ypres. 
The  British  troopers  interrupted  a  shocking  orgy  in 
the  Messines  district — there  was  no  time  for  the  Uh- 
lans to  bury  their  female  victims  when  the  alarm 
sounded. 

When  Joffre  had  realized  the  danger  on  his  ex- 
posed left  flank  above  Arras  and  to  the  Channel 
ports,  he  placed  General  Foch  in  command  of  the 
entire  operations  north  of  Noyon.  Foch  was  head 
of  the  Ecole  de  Guerre — he  commanded  the  Twen- 
tieth Corps,  and  then  the  Ninth  Army.  His  genius 

147 


•UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

was  unquestioned.  He  was  faced  by  three  problems. 
He  had  to  mask  and  check  the  enemy  attacking  in 
force  from  Albert  to  Arras ;  to  organize  to  meet  the 
Bavarian,  spreading  forward  on  the  open  Lille 
front;  and  during  this  pressure  the  huge  flanking 
forces  marching  across  Belgium  to  Pas  de  Calais 
must  be  held  back  at  all  costs.  In  the  race  that 
ensued  everything  favored  the  Germans,  who  could 
move  their  columns  direct  to  any  point  on  the 
spreading  circumference  of  the  new  front.  The 
pressure  in  France  grew  so  rapidly  that  the  forces 
which  were  first  destined  for  Belgium  were  diverted. 
"Extermination  if  necessary,  but  hold  every  road 
until  help  arrives,"  was  Joffre's  message  to  Foch. 

General  d'Urbal,  commander  of  Dunkirk,  had  now 
thrown  his  available  forces  over  the  frontier  toward 
Roulers,  to  protect  the  immediate  Belgian  flank. 
Eeserve  cavalry,  some  Spahis  and  Territorials,  who 
all  worked  splendidly,  cooperated  north  of  the  Brit- 
ish, who  were  clearing  advanced  guards  of  the  enemy 
from  the  eastern  approaches  to  Ypres.  In  a  des- 
perately thin  line  the  three  Allies  now  faced  about  to 
make  a  stand  across  Belgium,  along  the  rail  and  road 
running  to  Lille  from  the  western  outskirts  of  Os- 
tend,  through  Roulers  and  Menin.  The  Belgian 
army,  facing  a  strong  force  on  the  northern  section 
of  the  new  line,  was  utterly  exhausted  by  its  experi- 
ences in  Antwerp,  and  in  the  close  pursuit  many 
supplies  had  to  be  left.  The  German  Third  Corps, 

148 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

advancing  along  the  coast  from  Antwerp,  now  cap- 
tured Ostend  on  the  flank,  and  the  Twelfth  Corps, 
having  reenforced  the  cavalry,  was  preparing  to 
push  from  the  hills  behind  Ypres  and  the  British  to 
Furnes,  against  the  Belgian  rear.  King  Albert's 
army,  therefore,  retired  through  Dixmude,  and  its 
main  body  was  in  Furnes,  prepared  for  further  re- 
tirement across  the  frontier,  when  Joffre's  message 
arrived. 

The  eagerness  of  the  enemy  to  envelop  the  Bel- 
gians led  to  quick  counter  strokes.  A  column  ap- 
proaching Dixmude  for  a  frontal  attack  found  a 
rapidly  constructed  barricade  before  the  town  held 
by  the  French  Marines,  who  repelled  repeated  as- 
saults. Forces  pushing  in  behind  Ypres  for  the  Bel- 
gian rear  were  met  by  an  audacious  attack  by  Byng's 
cavalry  toward  Mont  des  Chats,  and  the  southern 
menace  to  Furnes  was  checked. 

Quietly  King  Albert  rode  through  Furnes  and  ad- 
dressed his  army.  Food  and  ammunition  his  men 
should  have.  Rest  was  even  more  badly  needed,  but 
he  only  asked  them  to  stand  along  the  Yser  for 
forty-eight  hours,  when  reinforcements  should  ar- 
rive from  the  Aisne.  You  would  not  think  that  the 
Age  of  Chivalry  was  dead  if  you  had  seen  the  King 
and  Queen  of  the  Belgians  with  their  army.  Only 
such  a  king  could  have  turned  these  exhausted  men 
straight  back  to  battle  without  a  murmur.  They 
had  fought  persistently  for  ten  weeks.  For  many 

149 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

days  in  Antwerp  and  during  the  retreat,  food  and 
rest  had  been  impossible.  I  saw  men  fall  on  the  wet 
cobbles  and  sleep  like  logs  until  their  regiments 
marched.  They  walked  in  a  trance,  their  eyes  set 
and  bloodshot.  Some  who  stepped  into  the  churches 
to  pray  fell  asleep  prostrated  before  the  altar.  But 
they  were  all  soon  trudging  back  up  the  road  to  check 
the  eager  enemy  along  the  northern  section  of  the 
new  thin  line  being  built  across  Belgium.  Many 
units  had  straggled  into  France,  and  without  rest 
they  also  turned  back  to  the  front  next  day.  We 
had  seen  too  much  to  be  moved,  but  a  dozen  times 
we  sprang  up  in  the  car  and  cheered. 

To  me  the  most  interesting  of  the  many  incidents 
crowding  those  few  puzzling,  chaotic  days  was  the 
reorganization  of  the  famous  Belgian  machine-gun 
batteries.  The  regular  dog  teams  were  augmented 
by  the  Lilliputian  country  carts  drawn  by  canine 
heroes  that  had  dragged  the  lares  and  penates  of 
their  owners  to  safety;  and  now,  requisitioned  for 
the  army,  they  were  reloaded  with  supplies  and  am- 
munition. The  intelligence  of  the  Belgian  draught 
dog  is  beyond  belief.  The  military  teams  at  first 
showed  haughty  resentment  toward  their  civilian 
comrades.  Later  a  tacit  understanding  arose. 
These  amazing  defenders  were  drawn  up  in  line  for 
the  final  inspection,  every  dog  started  to  bark  its 
loudest,  and  every  team,  military  and  civilian, 
strained  at  the  leash.  By  amazing  instinct  they 

150 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

knew  that  up  the  road  was  the  enemy  that  had  driven 
them  from  home,  and  furiously  they  bayed  for  the 
chance  to  get  back.  When  the  order  was  given  to 
move  off  in  sections  from  the  right,  every  team 
dashed  forward  at  top  speed,  dragging  the  soldier 
drivers  along  in  a  mad  race  for  the  canal  bridge  that 
led  to  the  front.  At  this  crossing  wheels  were 
locked,  guns  overturned,  supplies  spilled,  until  the 
batteries  were  a  tangled,  yelping  mass.  There  was 
some  delay  as  the  teams  were  formed  in  column  and 
restarted.  But,  though  discipline  was  now  main- 
tained, no  persuasion  could  make  the  animals  walk, 
and  they  disappeared  up  the  road  at  a  dog  trot  which 
kept  the  gunners  at  a  double,  and  they  soon  came  into 
action  as  they  clashed  with  the  German  advance 
guard,  afterward  forced  back  by  some  of  De  Mitry's 
cavalry  that  were  on  the  Eoulers  Eoad. 

With  sixty  damaged  field  guns,  just  five  to  the 
mile,  the  Belgian  army  extended  along  a  twelve-mile 
front,  its  left  squarely  on  the  coast  and  its  main  line 
through  Nieuport  along  the  Yser  to  Dixmude,  with 
forces  on  the  east  bank  to  guard  important  cross- 
ings. With  outposts  at  Vladsloo  and  Essen,  Eon- 
arch  placed  his  marines  before  Dixmude  to  hold  the 
cross  roads  and  railway.  Upon  him  hung  the  safety 
of  the  entire  line.  A  Belgian  division,  French  Ee- 
serve  cavalry  of  De  Mitry,  Bindon's  Territorials 
based  at  Nieucappelle,  and  the  British  Seventh  Di- 
vision continued  the  thin  line  of  defense  across 

151 


Belgium  along  the  winding  roads  below  Dixmude 
across  the  Forest  of  Houthulst,  through  Zonnebeke, 
well  east  of  Ypres  toward  Warneton  on  the  French 
frontier. 

Against  this  precarious  and  curving  front  of  over 
thirty-three  miles,  four  massive  columns  were  soon 
clashing;  while  across  the  British  right  flank,  at 
direct  right  angles  to  the  thin  line  of  the  Allies,  the 
Twelfth  Corps  occupied  strong  advanced  positions 
on  the  hills,  Mont  des  Chats  to  Kemmel  and  Menin, 
south  of  Ypres. 

But  local  conditions  had  changed  too  quickly  for 
the  German  General  Staff.  Planmaessig  was  in 
command,  and  when  the  force  across  the  flank  should 
have  deployed  from  the  hills  and  struck  rapidly  to 
crumple  up  the  Allies '  line,  it  waited  for  the  develop- 
ment of  frontal  attacks,  which  were  delayed  for 
heavy  artillery.  Byng's  cavalry  division,  helped  by 
some  snappy  French,  audaciously  countermarched 
in  a  fog,  and  fell  on  the  unsuspecting  left  of  the 
flanking  Germans,  crumpling  them  up,  and  driving 
them  from  Mont  des  Chats. 

Reinforcements,  chiefly  Bavarian,  were  gathering 
between  Lille  and  Menin.  The  plateau  beyond  the 
Lys,  a  wedge  of  ten  miles  dividing  the  Allied  line  in 
France  from  the  line  in  Belgium,  was  vital  if  the 
Allied  forces  in  the  northern  sectors  were  to  be  en- 
veloped before  help  came  from  the  Aisne.  "Run  no 
risks.  Develop  methodically,  then  smash  decisively 

152 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

and  envelop,"  was  the  German  maxim  which  must 
have  made  their  cavalry  leaders  weep  for  missed 
chances.  Byng's  surprise  stroke  was  delivered 
from  the  west,  and  as  the  enemy  was  cleared  from 
the  western  half  of  the  plateau,  the  British  cavalry 
corps  pushed  across  the  frontier  and  dug  in  as  in- 
fantry, deploying  on  the  left  of  the  Third  Corps  in 
France,  with  their  own  left  toward  Ypres.  Thus  the 
fronts  were  triumphantly  linked,  and  though  all  the 
sectors  above  Arras  were  thinly  held,  the  entire  line 
from  Switzerland  to  the  North  Sea,  a  curving  front 
of  588  miles,  was  now  intact — Joffre's  greatest  tri- 
umph. 

But  across  Belgium  the  line  was  a  thread.  "Help 
is  coming.  Hold  on  at  least  for  forty-eight  hours," 
the  commanders  had  asked  of  their  tired  men.  The 
battle  raged  for  208  hours  before  effective  reen- 
forcements  could  be  spared  for  Belgium,  so  great 
was  the  need  on  the  heavily  pressed  front  from 
Arras  to  Armentieres.  In  a  terrific  battle,  with  the 
odds  four  to  one,  and  in  places  eight  to  one, 
the  line  in  Belgium  had  to  stand  alone.  And  it 
stood ! 

North  Belgium  seemed  strangely  like  Long  Island 
in  parts,  just  as  from  Cassel  to  Arras  reminds  you  of 
rural  New  England  mixed  with  Scranton,  and  from 
the  hills  there  the  Lille  section  might  be  mistaken  for 
industrial  New  Jersey.  That  is  why  the  war  seems 
so  incongruous,  even  to  those  of  us  who  have  seen 

153 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

many  battles  in  more  relevant  settings.  In  an  easy 
ride  along  a  famous  tourist  route,  north  of  Arras, 
you  crossed  the  preliminary  chaos  which  was  de- 
veloping rapidly  into  three  huge  battles,  or  one  stu- 
pendous battle  with  three  distinct  sections.  From 
the  staccato  of  machine  guns  with  bursts  of  inde- 
pendent firing,  the  preliminary  fighting  before  Dix- 
mude  did  not  sound  serious,  and  we  were  near  the 
Belgian  forces  on  the  coast  roads  when  a  roar  of 
German  artillery  burst  suddenly  on  the  town.  And 
down  roads  declared  impassable,  new  streams  of 
refugees  came  flocking  through  an  inferno.  They 
came,  too,  over  the  sand  dunes  and  across  the  fens 
from  Ostend,  and  from  all  the  "endes"  and 
"kerkes"  of  the  coast  districts,  helpless,  homeless, 
and  without  future,  their  villages  blazing  behind 
them. 

The  Duke  of  Wurttemberg  had  now  concentrated  a 
formidable  army  near  Ghent.  Before  daylight  on 
October  17,  huge  masses  of  Swabian  infantry  rushed 
through  the  mist  and  gained  the  advanced  trenches 
of  the  French  Marines.  Dixmude  seemed  lost.  At 
daylight,  without  artillery  support,  these  incompre- 
hensible youngsters  went  back  and  drove  the  Ger- 
mans out.  Owing  to  the  growing  concentration 
there,  Colonel  Wieschoumes  brought  over  the  most 
serviceable  of  his  powder-scored  field  guns,  and  by 
using  French  shells,  maintained  some  sort  of  bom- 
bardment in  support.  The  Belgian  gunners,  how- 

154 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

ever,  suffered  severely  under  a  steady  hail  of  large 
caliber  shells. 

The  Germans  were  also  pouring  along  the  coast 
from  Ostend,  determined  to  smash  their  way 
through  the  exhausted  Belgian  line.  And  when  we 
feared  that  some  one  had  blundered  in  allowing 
Michel 's  splendid  forces  to  bear  the  brunt,  the  grow- 
ing and  persistent  grumble  of  battle  farther  south 
showed  that  the  French  and  British  also  had  their 
hands  full  east  of  Ypres. 

From  the  sand  dunes  near  Nieuport  after  dark, 
every  hamlet  and  farm  along  the  front  could  be  seen 
on  fire;  and  none  of  us  gave  Peruyse  or  Fumes 
many  hours  of  escape  as  the  weary  days  and  nights 
dragged  on,  and  we  rode  across  to  the  Lille  front  and 
back,  and  realized  the  delays  necessary  before  even 
an  effective  battery  could  be  spared  to  help  the  Bel- 
gian front.  Yet  in  both  towns  the  people  seemed 
unaware  of  their  danger,  so  firmly  does  the  normal 
grip  the  mind. 

On  October  19,  a  mysterious  thunder  crept  from 
the  sea  through  fog  and  bitter  drizzle.  Soon  the 
German  artillery  slackened  and  ceased  fire.  I 
walked  over  the  wet  sand  dunes,  overtaking  a  chance 
British  officer  who  seemed  as  mystified  as  I  was. 
Heavy  guns  flashed  at  sea,  but  the  shell-burst  was  on 
land.  British  monitors  had  crept  in,  utterly  dis- 
organizing the  German  coast  attack,  to  the  great 
relief  of  the  First  Belgian  Division.  That  night, 

155 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

however,  the  enemy  made  desperate  assaults  and 
gained  important  villages  east  of  the  Yser.  Ad- 
miral Shroder  also  sent  mounted  marines  from  Os- 
tend  to  patrol  and  fight,  so  the  legend  of  Horse 
Marines  has  lost  its  point. 

Unfortunately  the  Germans  above  Lille,  cleared 
from  the  Lys,  could  not  be  driven  from  Menin  and 
the  heights  beyond,  and  the  ineffective  breaks  on  the 
Lille-Menin-Roulers-Ostend  railroad  were  rapidly 
repaired,  giving  them  a  direct  line  of  communication 
across  Belgium,  parallel  to  the  Allies'  front.  Next 
to  the  arrival  of  the  British  naval  flotilla,  a  consign- 
ment of  barbed  wire  cheered  the  Allies  most !  Be- 
fore Dixmude,  the  marines,  after  two  counter  offen- 
sives, drew  back  and  wired  their  positions.  The 
naval  guns,  helped  by  a  captive  balloon  from  a  war- 
ship, now  dropped  shells  even  on  the  German  posi- 
tions at  Schoore.  But  a  huge  concentration  of  heavy 
artillery,  which  moved  from  Antwerp  to  attack  Dix- 
mude, could  not  be  reached. 

On  the  22nd  the  bombardment  ceased,  and  the  new 
units  from  Germany  were  launched  to  their  baptism 
of  fire  to  carry  the  blazing  city  by  assault.  Urged 
by  patriotism,  eager  for  glory,  the  devoted  youths 
and  older  men  swept  against  the  position,  and  not  a 
shot  met  them  until  they  reached  the  wire.  The  Bel- 
gians and  French  then  poured  their  volleys  from  the 
broken  trenches,  repulsing  ten  desperate  charges 
during  the  day.  French  howitzers  arrived  at  the 

156 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

front  just  too  late  to  share  the  glory  of  the  desperate 
resistance. 

Into  the  flaming  hell  of  Dixmude,  where  three 
thousand  shells  per  hour  were  falling,  Dr.  Hector 
Munro  took  his  volunteer  hospital  corps  from 
Furnes,  with  cars  and  ambulances,  and  brought  out 
the  wounded.  With  him  were  Lady  Fielding,  the 
son  of  Baron  de  Broqueville,  Minister  of  War,  some 
British  volunteers,  and  Arthur  Gleason,  a  Yale  man 
whose  writings  are  well  known.  I  had  heard  the 
Belgians  talk  of  "Glisson,"  and  had  supposed  that 
they  were  referring  to  one  of  the  Gilsons,  an  heroic 
Belgian  family  whose  deeds  will  live  in  history.  I 
was  happy  to  find  that  the  brave  volunteer  risking 
his  life  there  was  a  friend  of  earlier  days,  whose 
writings  have  breathed  a  gentle  idealism  utterly 
foreign  to  modern  commercialism  and  ridiculed  as 
impractical  by  more  than  one  critic.  It  is  splendid 
to  realize  that  the  author  of  ' '  The  Spirit  of  Christ- 
mas" ignored  orders  and  drove  back  into  Dixmude 
to  drag  abandoned  wounded  from  cellars  of  crashing 
buildings.  His  wife  and  Mrs.  Kurcher  and  Miss 
Chisholm  were  attending  wounded  at  the  front  in  a 
damp  cellar  in  shell-swept  Peruyse  for  two  years 
of  war.  This  little  band  of  young  Americans  and 
British  have  received  Belgium's  highest  decoration 
from  the  hands  of  a  grateful  king. 

At  last  reinforcements  came  to  the  amazing  line 
of  three  nations.  Early  on  October  24,  Grossetti's 

157 


.UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

famous  division  from  the  Champagne  front  reached 
Nieuport  and  relieved  the  line. .  Muddy,  bloody,  hag- 
gard specters  crept  out  of  the  trenches  on  the  Bel- 
gian left,  and  tramped  painfully  to  rest  in  Furnes. 
Many  whimpered  like  children  when  a  band  played 
them  in.  But  after  food  and  sleep  and  work 
in  reserve,  the  overstrained  Belgian  troops  went 
cheerfully  back  to  the  trenches,  separated  from  the 
German  lines  only  by  the  sluggish  canal  to  Nieuport. 

Heavy  French  artillery  was  now  supporting  the 
First  and  Fourth  Belgian  Divisions.  But  Bonarch, 
on  the  Belgian  right,  was  facing  another  series  of 
desperate  drives  near  Ramscappelle,  aimed  at 
Furnes.  Covered  by  concentrated  artillery  on  the 
25th,  the  Germans  put  pontoons  over  the  Yser  and 
crossed  in  several  places,  the  exhausted  Belgians 
falling  back  to  the  embankment  of  the  Nieuport-Dix- 
mude  railroad.  Peruyse  was  soon  a  flaming  ruin, 
and  the  direct  road  to  Furnes  was  threatened.  At 
last  the  citizens  became  alarmed  and  started  to  leave. 

Inundation  had  saved  Flanders  before.  Mr. 
Krogge,  a  quiet  government  engineer,  now  reversed 
the  Nieuport  sluices,  filled  in  the  road  passing  under 
the  railway,  and  had  gaps  blown  in  the  dykes  near 
the  shore.  High  tides  and  rains  soon  converted  the 
basin  of  the  lower  Yser  into  a  swamp  from  Dixmude 
to  the  sea,  with  the  Belgians  holding  the  embank- 
ment, which  acted  as  a  dyke  and  kept  the  flood  from 
reaching  their  lines.  The  Germans  soon  found  the 

158 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

water  creeping  over  their  newly  won  territory,  but 
for  six  days  these  amazing  soldiers  waded  to  night 
attacks  and  gained  a  footing  at  Ramscappelle. 

But  on  the  31st  every  available  Belgian  joined  in 
an  offensive  as  a  heavy  rain  swamped  the  German 
area.  The  enemy  losses  will  never  be  known.  The 
teams  of  the  field  guns  were  cut  loose,  drivers  and 
gunners  riding  to  safety  while  artillery  sank  in  the 
mud.  German  infantry  under  heavy  fire  had  to 
cross  fields  waist  deep  in  water.  Note  also  that, 
despite  earlier  provocation,  several  Belgian  machine 
guns  stopped  firing  at  the  mass  of  blue-gray  infantry 
squirming  and  floundering  through  the  flood,  because 
of  the  wounded,  many  of  whom  sank  and  were 
drowned.  When  this  district  of  submerged  salt 
meadow  is  recovered,  the  final  history  of  the  German 
retreat  from  the  Yser  may  be  written. 

It  was  interesting  after  this  Belgian  effort  to  read, 
in  American  papers  that  reached  the  front,  the 
official  wireless,  from  Berlin,  October  20,  that  half 
the  Belgian  army  had  fled  to  Holland  to  be  interned, 
one-fourth  had  deserted,  and  the  balance  was  de- 
moralized. This  same  statement  added  -that  the 
Italian  volunteers  had  returned  to  Italy  in  disgust, 
when,  in  reality,  the  Garibaldis  had  been  killed 
leading  their  heroic  contingent  in  the  Argonne ;  and 
some  eager  Italian  Reservists  then  returned  home  to 
fight. 

Reinforcements  for  both  the  British  and  French 

159 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

now  arrived,  and  the  thin  line  of  the  Allies  grew  in 
strength,  so  that  King  Albert  still  ruled  over  a  strip 
of  his  country  thirty  miles  long  and,  roughly,  ten 
miles  wide,  as  well  as  in  the  hearts  of  his  people. 
Below  Dixmude  and  the  Marines,  a  Belgian  division 
and  French  Reservists  held  a  line  based  on  the  canal- 
ized Yser  toward  Ypres,  curving  eastward  on  the 
edge  of  the  Houthulst  Forest  on  the  first  section 
of  a  deep  angle  of  defenses  maintained  as  a  protec- 
tive salient  before  Ypres  by  the  British.  This  city 
was  the  junction  for  eleven  important  roads.  The 
Seventh  Division,  after  an  abortive  attack  on  Menin, 
had  retired  on  Gheluvelt,  five  miles  due  east  of  Ypres, 
and,  with  dismounted  cavalry  on  both  flanks,  had  ex- 
tended back  northwest  and  southwest  on  a  defensive 
angle  to  cover  the  main  approaches  to  the  city. 
Strong  columns,  which  marched  down  by  three  roads, 
were  checked  by  this  single  division,  on  the  apex  of 
the  famous  salient  which  was  linked  on  the  south  by 
the  dismounted  cavalry  corps  to  the  left  of  the  Third 
Corps,  across  the  Ploegsteert  woods  and  over  the 
frontier  to  Armentieres. 

The  Seventh  Division  attempted  to  save  Ypres  for 
Belgium  by  field  works,  in  a  small  edition  of  Ver- 
dun. Unfortunately  Kawlinson  had  not  enough  men 
to  create  a  zone  wide  enough  to  keep  artillery  out 
of  range  of  the  city,  and  the  trenches  were  dug  in  a 
flat  country  with  few  natural  aids  to  defense.  The 
Germans  were  on  the  eastern  half  of  the  Messines 

160 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

ridges,  from  which  heavy  guns  dominated  the  entire 
Ypres  salient.  Artillery  from  three  directions 
could  concentrate  on  parts  of  the  British  line,  to 
prepare  for  assaults  which  were  delivered  night  and 
day  without  success,  as  the  British  held  on  grimly, 
their  batteries  outranged,  a  barrier  of  nerve  and 
flesh,  waiting  for  reinforcements. 

The  First  Corps  detrained  near  St.  Omer  on  Octo- 
ber 19  and  20.  Sir  Douglas  Haig  at  once  led  his 
Aisne  veterans  to  Belgium,  intending  to  take  the 
offensive  by  smashing  through  the  extended  German 
front,  to  push  between  the  Fourth  and  Sixth  Armies. 
But  as  his  columns  were  forming  in  the  salient,  the 
Belgians  were  driven  across  the  Yser,  exposing  the 
left  of  the  French  cavalry,  who  fell  back  west  of  the 
forest  to  preserve  their  front,  but  left  a  gap  at  the 
northern  base  of  the  salient,  at  which  a  fresh  enemy 
corps  was  thrown.  Haig's  forces  quickly  stopped 
the  break.  But  the  Germans,  realizing  that  all  was 
lost  if  they  lost  the  chance  to  maneuver,  had  deter- 
mined to  break  the  stubborn  line.  Aeroplanes  re- 
ported that  the  roads  converging  on  Ypres  were 
black  with  German  troops,  and  the  First  Corps  ex- 
tended on  the  salient  just  in  time  to  check  a  series 
of  desperate  assaults  by  three  corps. 

In  this  fighting  the  Seventh  Division  on  the  apex 
continued  to  suffer,  and  some  famous  British  bat- 
talions practically  ceased  to  exist.  Even  now  reen- 
forcements  did  not  mean  rest.  The  forces  closed 

161 


.UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

up  their  shattered  ranks  and  continued  to  fight.  The 
cavalry  formed  the  only  reserve,  galloping  to  sag- 
ging points  of  the  front,  riding  down  enemy  elements 
which  sometimes  broke  through,  and  dismounting  to 
reenf orce  a  depleted  firing  line. 

On  the  23rd  and  24th,  after  repulsing  heavy  as- 
saults, the  British  counter  attacked.  As  they  har- 
ried the  confused  Germans  back  to  their  lines,  tak- 
ing hundreds  of  prisoners,  the  struggling,  fighting 
mass,  masking  'hostile  machine  guns,  literally 
swamped  back  into  the  advanced  German  trenches. 
The  German  front  collapsed  and  the  British  took  up 
the  line,  reversing  the  trenches  by  lifting  the  sand- 
bags across  and  throwing  over  the  loosened  wire, 
so  that  parados  became  parapets,  and  they  could 
face  and  repel  the  enemy  when  the  fugitives  brought 
back  the  reserves.  Twice  now,  tired  masses  broke 
up  and  retreated  as  soon  as  they  came  within  range, 
and  when  the  Ninth  French  Corps  detrained  and 
formed  on  the  left  of  the  British,  attacks  ceased  for 
nine  days,  during  which  the  Allies  reorganized  their 
front  under  constant  shelling. 

Their  guns  were  still  outranged,  so  their  losses 
were  heavy,  and  though  the  lines  were  six  miles 
from  the  city,  the  Germans  bombarded  Ypres  daily. 
The  famous  Gothic  Halle  des  Drapiers  was  natu- 
rally the  first  target,  and  immortal  art  gems,  in- 
cluding the  panels  of  Pauwels,  were  destroyed. 
Section  by  section  the  city  was  pulverized  from 

162 


THE  FEONT  IN  FLANDERS 

Messines  ridge,  hundreds  of  noncombatants  being 
killed  as  they  fled.  But  passing  back  from  the 
Belgians'  line  to  France  and  the  Lille  front,  we 
heard  few  details  of  the  terrible  fighting  on  this  posi- 
tion bulging  between  the  two.  The  tired  Belgians 
realized  little  of  the  struggle  below  them,  and  won- 
dered what  their  Allies  were  doing. 

Before  Lille  the  fighting  had  grown  in  intensity 
daily.  Between  Lens  and  Belgium  each  week  of 
October  marked  a  special  phase.  A  week  wasted  by 
absurd  reconnoissance  of  German  cavalry,  on  a  front 
which  cyclist  patrols  could  have  covered  in  a  day. 
A  week  of  slow  concentration  and  a  tardy  cavalry 
advance,  thwarted  by  inferior  forces  of  the  Allies. 
Seven  days  more  of  battles  on  every  road,  as  the 
British  forces  detrained  and  moved  by  the  shortest 
cuts  eastward,  when  the  ponderous  enemy  columns 
were  unfolding  (Entfaltung).  During  this,  accord- 
ing to  theory,  their  numerical  superiority  would  force 
any  enemy  to  tremble  and  prepare  a  defensive.  A 
smaller  boy  challenged  by  a  bully  may  inflict  effec- 
tive punishment  by  unexpectedly  dashing  in  while  the 
larger  antagonist  is  taking  off  his  coat.  So  Deploy- 
ieren  became  involved,  the  front  was  irregular  and 
prematurely  engaged,  and  the  simultaneous  Ger- 
man blows  planned,  after  methodical  deploy- 
ment, with  enveloping  weight  on  the  flanks,  be- 
came impossible.  The  ponderous  theory  became  a 
farce. 

163 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

During  the  last  week  in  October,  sheer  weight  told 
a  little,  and  the  Allies  were  pounded  back  on  ad- 
vanced points,  and  forced  to  a  defensive  on  a  defined 
front.  But  the  spectacular  sweep  of  envelopment 
via  Belgium  to  Pas  de  Calais  was  breaking  on  a 
thin  line  of  heroes  stretched  firmly  to  the  sea. 

When  we  first  skirted  the  Lille  front,  the  Arcadian 
edge  to  industry  was  a  beautiful  countryside  lightly 
swept  by  looting  cavalry.  In  a  week  it  became  a 
depopulated  zone  of  bewildering  conflict.  By  the 
end  of  October  the  front  was  marked  by  a  wide  fur- 
row of  ruin  and  desolation — a  blackened  inferno 
into  which  strong  men  marched  in  thousands,  and 
from  which  only  thin  streams  of  maimed  and  shat- 
tered bodies  flowed  back.  From  Hazebrouck,  which 
was  behind  the  center  of  the  wriggling  front  that 
twisted  its  way  along  the  sixty  direct  miles  between 
Arras  and  Nieuport,  it  was  an  easy  ride  to  any  sec- 
tion of  the  new  battle.  During  the  evacuation  of  a 
populous  countryside  and  the  installation  of  the  dif- 
ferent forces,  it  was  possible  to  keep  in  touch  with 
the  fluctuating  campaign  until  the  armies  had  defi- 
nitely dug  in. 

The  official  reports  of  these  operations  are  mere 
history,  but  every  mile,  each  incident  and  each  min- 
ute, teemed  with  human  interest:  the  country  at 
first  was  so  peaceful  and  charming,  the  war  so  ab- 
normal in  that  setting.  During  the  first  days  we 
could  hear  only  the  heavy  guns  at  Arras  and  sput- 

164 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

ters  of  skirmishing  at  many  places.  The  skirmish 
fire  grew  in  volume.  From  points  along  the  road 
from  Hazebrouck  and  Bethune  we  could  see  peace- 
ful hamlets  and  farm  land  spread  in  replica  of  the 
country  between  Summit  and  Bernardsville,  just  as 
two  distant  views  we  had  of  Lille  and  its  industrial 
suburbs,  from  a  greater  eminence,  might  well  be 
labeled  Newark  and  the  Oranges  as  seen  from  the 
Millburn  mountain.  But  in  the  hamlets  were  groups 
of  Allied  troops,  some  making  defenses,  others  des- 
perately fighting.  German  artillery  soon  picked  up 
the  range  and  the  towns  and  villages,  occupied  or  un- 
occupied, were  shot  to  pieces. 

We  rode  down  one  road  where  a  few  French  troop- 
ers had  fought  from  an  irrigation  ditch,  and  had 
kept  a  German  force  from  fording  the  muddy  canal. 
The  smart  dragoons  were  angry  because  they  were 
armored  in  slime,  and  though  the  Boches  had  fought 
from  a  hedge  not  fifty  meters  away,  not  a  corpse  was 
discovered.  Dead  and  wounded  had  undoubtedly 
been  carried  away,  but  the  farmers  were  incredulous 
and  made  flippant  remarks.  The  enemy  was  expected 
back  any  minute,  but  we  waited  two  hours.  I  found 
there  a  German  clip  with  inverted  bullets  reset  in 
wax,  and  a  Uhlan  helmet  with  a  faint  17U  marked 
inside,  of  a  size  evidently  used  by  a  boy,  probably  a 
musician.  Down  the  road  we  found  an  abandoned 
car. 

We  soon  caught  the  growl  of  field  guns  and  found 

165 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Tommy  Atkins  going  cheerfully  into  action,  as  im- 
perturbable as  a  public  school  battalion  at  a  Fox  Hill 
maneuver.  The  good  spirits  of  the  British  soldiers 
were  amazing.  The  heavy  losses  of  the  previous 
weeks  of  fighting  at  the  Marne  and  Aisne  were  pain- 
fully evident.  Junior  officers  held  important  com- 
mands; some  companies  were  woefully  depleted; 
there  were  batteries  with  a  single  officer.  But  the 
men  were  all  cheerful.  The  tension  of  trench  work 
was  temporarily  over ;  they  were  fighting  again  in  the 
open,  and  during  intervals  of  much  tedious  work 
they  played  football,  and  marched  on  singing,  when 
patrols  signaled  that  the  road  was  clear. 

Of  course,  they  were  professional  soldiers,  mer- 
cenaries, the  Germans  insist,  as  if  there  was  nothing 
greater  than  the  King's  shilling  a  day  that  im- 
pelled enlistment  even  in  times  of  peace,  one  of  the 
many  important  facts  which  the  enemy  overlooked 
in  his  formulae  of  theories.  In  the  armies  of  the 
United  States  and  England  the  open  life  and  lure 
of  adventure  fill  the  ranks  with  material  which  the 
pay  alone  could  never  attract.  Recall  the  writings 
of  German  military  experts  during  the  Spanish  War 
and  more  recently.  After  the  Lusitania  crime  a 
great  authority  stated:  "The  Yankee  army  is  a 
polyglot  mob.  The  National  Guard  has  no  disci- 
pline, few  rifles,  inferior  equipment,  and,  as  proved 
in  Cuba,  it  will  refuse  to  face  the  enemy."  On  such 
logic  the  basis  of  Kulturpolitik  rests,  and  ranting 

166 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

Imperialists  like  the  Baron  von  Bodelschwingh- 
Schwarzenhazel  found  their  arguments. 

After  the  Ulster  resignations  a  few  weeks  before 
the  war,  a  careful  authority  wrote,  "If  the  English 
Navy  is  as  rotten  as  their  army  has  proved,  the 
flimsy  fabric  called  the  British  Empire  will  topple 
at  the  first  crack  of  a  German  gun."  Another  ex- 
pert said,  "The  so-called  British  army  is  a  rabble 
composed  of  gutter  snipes,  degenerates,  and  physical 
ineffectives,  and  to  our  trained  eyes  it  is  a  joke." 
But  the  "joke,"  in  a  thin  drab  line,  had  jumped 
out  and  stopped  the  advance  of  an  impressive 
army. 

In  South  Africa  the  Boers  were  immensely  re- 
spected by  rank  and  file,  and  it  was  amazing  to  hear 
every  British  soldier  express  a  patronizing  pity  for 
the  German  troops,  and  respect  only  for  their  ma- 
chine guns.  Every  man  seemed  to  have  a  German 
helmet,  which  spoke  more  eloquently  than  the  official 
reports  of  the  victory  of  the  Marne.  Yet  there  were 
many  tributes  also  to  the  way  the  gray-clad  masses 
advanced  in  close  order  against  a  withering  fire,  in 
apparent  contempt  of  death.  Of  bitterness  or  anger 
there  was  never  a  trace  in  the  early  campaigns. 
Here  and  there  men  had  a  look  of  haunting  fear, 
which  always  means  that  life  holds  some  special 
feminine  ties.  But  the  British  regulars  in  general 
were  clean-cut,  hardy  campaigners,  used  to  foreign 
service,  freed  by  habit  from  the  pangs  of  homesick- 

167 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ness,  and  geared  for  fighting  from  the  drop  of  the 
hat.  Only  there  were  not  enough  of  them. 

The  fighting  of  the  British  Army  and  French  cav- 
alry in  North  France  from  October  12  to  the  20th, 
was  so  independent  in  every  conception,  that  it  de- 
serves careful  study  in  the  United  States  where  co- 
operative initiative  is  the  keynote  of  training. 
Faced  by  equal,  and  soon  greatly  superior  forces, 
the  fighting  started  with  scores  of  minor  engage- 
ments where  individual  initiative  had  full  play. 
Company  officers,  and  frequently  sergeants,  solved 
their  immediate  problems  in  their  own  way.  The 
Germans  were  caught  and  forced  on  the  defensive, 
when  their  perfect  machine  was  geared  for  invasion. 
Everywhere  the  component  parts  went  to  pieces, 
floundered  hopelessly  and  fell  back,  until  they  were 
supported  by  sheer  weight  of  numbers  and  guns. 
On  equal  terms  they  would  have  been  defeated.  But 
the  British  were  woefully  lacking  in  artillery  and 
machine  guns,  and  their  two  small  corps  with  cav- 
alry, in  France,  were  facing  an  army  plus  one  corps, 
with  prior  choice  of  position,  but  a  disarranged 
plan. 

To  a  series  of  impetuous  and  unexpected  attacks, 
the  Germans  responded  bravely  but  aimlessly,  every 
one  apparently  waiting  for  orders  from  superior  au- 
thority. Directly  the  machine  was  regeared  for  the 
new  development,  it  proved  perfect  in  defense,  but 
that  was  not  victory.  When  batteries  were  shelling 

168 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

harmless  hamlets,  British  troops  dashed  across  open 
fields  and  captured  farms  and  crossroads,  while  the 
battery  commanders  waited  for  orders  to  change 
their  target.  Cavalry  ordered  to  move  by  one  road 
waited  for  orders  without  latitude,  when  new  condi- 
tions developed  which  any  corporal  could  have 
solved.  The  German  failure  along  the  Lys  was  a 
gigantic  farce.  But  for  some  days  the  front  was 
irregular  and  the  fighting  most  confusing. 

On  one  road  French  cavalry  had  advanced  two 
miles  without  a  shot,  and  had  captured  many  pris- 
oners. Following  one  detachment  of  twenty-seven, 
guarded  by  French  troopers,  we  were  surprised  to 
find  a  British  outpost  on  a  crossroad  far  behind, 
eagerly  waiting  for  guns  they  had  sent  back  to 
borrow,  to  clear  a  wooded  hill  reported  by  patrols  to 
be  full  of  the  enemy,  and  soon  the  scene  of  a  hot 
fight  and  heavy  losses. 

Discipline  was  forgotten,  and  as  the  prisoners  pre- 
pared for  the  worst,  their  hands  were  shaken,  and 
they  were  patted  on  the  back,  objects  of  friendly  in- 
terest. Some  one  suggested  that  the  prisoners  might 
be  hungry,  and  canned  beef,  bread,  jam,  and  hard 
tack  soon  made  a  love  feast.  Two  French  officers 
rode  up,  glaring  sternly.  The  Germans  dropped 
everything  and  stood  at  attention.  The  senior  offi- 
cer's face  softened.  "Continuez — mes  enfants,"  he 
said.  Then  tins  of  English  cigarettes  were  pro- 
duced, a  solace  to  men  who  had  not  smoked  for  three 

169 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

weeks.  Their  regiment  had  made  forced  marches 
from  Lorraine,  and  was  then  put  on  outpost  duty. 
Alas,  a  scene  like  this  could  not  have  happened  a 
few  weeks  later  when,  as  obedient  cogs  in  a  ruthless 
machine,  men  similar  to  these  had  shot  the  wounded 
and  launched  poison  gas. 

Gradually  the  trenches  grew  deeper,  positions 
were  consolidated,  and  the  rival  lines  ran  in  parallel 
furrows  along  the  new  front.  In  many  villages 
finally  secured  by  the  Allies  there  was  ample  evi- 
dence of  the  brutal  terrorism  of  Prussian  mili- 
tarism. 

I  could  fill  volumes  with  interesting  incidents. 
Across  the  Belgian  frontier  I  recalled  a  small  hotel 
kept  by  a  Yorkshire  man.  With  an  equally  hungry 
British  supply  officer,  I  led  the  way.  Most  of  the 
people  had  gone,  but  the  hotel  and  the  owner  were 
there.  ' '  Food  ?  Where  could  he  get  it ! "  He  had 
a  little  ham,  tea  without  milk,  and  bread  a  week 
old.  But  we  feasted.  Later,  riding  past  a  French 
force  holding  a  road,  an  orderly  requested  the  offi- 
cer's presence.  The  commandant  had  a  few  odds 
and  ends  to  hand  over — field  glasses;  a  coat  and  a 
map  dropped  by  a  British  cavalry  officer  who  was 
shot  off  his  horse,  but  who  revived  and  insisted  on 
galloping  after  his  men;  also  three  rifles,  and  two 
stray  privates.  Each  Tommy  Atkins  looked  sheep- 
ish, saluted,  but  said  nothing. 

Out  of  earshot  the  officer  questioned  the  "desert- 

170 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

ers."  One  had  volunteered  to  take  hot  coffee  to  the 
outer  trenches.  He  missed  his  guide  post,  crossed 
to  a  match  flare  and  heard  men  talking  German. 
Three  soldiers  sprang  from  a  trench  and  challenged. 
It  was  pitch  dark,  so  he  merely  handed  over  the 
coffee,  which  they  took  without  question,  and  started 
back  to  his  lines.  But  his  people  opened  fire  every 
time  he  approached.  He  lay  outside  for  three  days 
before  he  could  get  in,  and  then  reached  the  French 
force  and  was  still  there. 

The  other  man,  a  finely  built  private  of  a  York- 
shire regiment,  had  crawled  over  to  a  French  trench 
to  repay  borrowed  bread.  As  a  sergeant  lifted  his 
head  to  talk,  a  sharpshooter's  bullet  killed  him.  An 
officer  moved  over  to  catch  the  body,  and  was 
wounded.  So  Tommy  volunteered  to  squirm  out  and 
stalk  the  sniper.  He  finally  located  him  far  on  the 
flank  in  a  little  scoop  behind  a  loopholed  intrench- 
ing tool.  In  the  duel  one  bullet  plowed  his  scalp, 
but  the  shield  stopped  all  his  shots.  So  he  raised 
himself,  toppled  in  a  heap,  and  lay  with  his  gun 
ready.  And  in  two  places  advanced  snipers  lifted 
themselves  to  look  at  the  "kill."  He  shot  one 
through  the  head ;  one,  in  the  shoulder.  This  started 
shooting  from  friend  and  enemy,  so  he  had  to  wait 
until  dark.  His  wounded  man  began  to  moan,  so  he 
went  over.  "Blowed  if  he  didn't  think  I  came  to 
finish  him,  and  he  hit  me  a  wallop,"  he  said  indig- 
nantly. But  he  patchtd  the  wound,  and  a  truce, 

171 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

and  they  got  in.  The  outposts  were  French.  "I 
thought  myself  a  bit  of  a  hero,  but  they  made  me  a 
prisoner  too,"  added  the  soldier. 

The  French  here  had  few  rations.  The  first  sol- 
dier was  half  dead  with  hunger,  so  we  took  him  back 
to  a  village  and  found  a  stylishly  dressed  Parisienne, 
just  from  New  York,  helping  with  the  wounded  in 
deep  mud  over  her  dainty  shoes,  and  the  wounded 
German  eating  one  of  her  two  hundred  nickel  packets 
of  Baker's  chocolate.  The  rival  snipers  were  soon 
chatting  famously  by  signs,  until  a  French  officer 
stopped  the  tete-a-tete.  Here  again  all  the  wounded 
enemy  were  being  well  treated  by  the  French,  and  at 
all  points  I  have  seen  the  same  thing.  The  York- 
shire private  had  a  ridge  across  his  scalp  that  would 
have  fractured  an  African  skull. 

The  soldiers  will  have  their  jokes.  We  heard  a 
gun  boom.  " Chicken  for  dinner,"  said  a  Cockney. 
"What?"  "Well,  I  just  heard  von  Kluck."  On 
some  Sunday  nights,  in  a  lull,  the  British  and  Ger- 
mans sang  hymns  together,  with  different  words  to 
the  many  sacred  tunes  they  have  in  common.  The 
French  have  a  song  about  Rosalie  (their  bayonet). 
In  perfect  French,  voices  afterward  inquired  about 
the  damsel's  health,  and  the  pioupious  promised  to 
bring  the  lady  over  one  day  and  introduce  her. 
They  did  a  few  nights  afterward.  "  'Ow's  Kaiser 
Bill?"  yelled  a  Tommy.  "With  his  troops. 
.Where's  George?"  was  the  swift  repartee  in  Eng- 

172 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

lish.  But  the  King  was  soon  closer  to  the  front  than 
the  Kaiser  has  ever  ventured. 

At  one  town  I  met  several  new  French  recruits 
waiting  to  be  allocated.  Among  them  were  five 
Americans,  two  from  college.  These  promising  lads 
were  spending  a  vacation  on  Gloucester  whalers  off 
Cape  Verde,  when  they  heard  of  the  war.  They 
jumped  ship  at  Grand  Canary  and,  as  the  shortest 
road  to  the  front,  attested  at  the  consulate  as  sons  of 
unnaturalized  Frenchmen  in  America,  and  so  fin- 
ished their  adventurous  trip  by  being  sent  to  France 
to  fight. 

The  efforts  of  the  French  to  care  for  their  own 
and  Belgian  refugees,  and  to  move  them  from  the 
danger  zone,  were  touching.  We  had  just  seen  the 
mass  of  bodies  where  spies  had  derailed  a  train, 
when  news  came  that  the  Amiral  Ganteaume,  en- 
gaged in  moving  the  helpless  and  homeless  from 
Dunkirk  and  Calais  to  Havre  where  they  could  have 
better  care,  had  been  torpedoed  off  Grinez  with 
2,200  women  and  children  on  board,  on  October  25. 
Luckily  the  Folkestone  mail  boat,  the  Queen,  left 
France  late,  and  by  chance  was  able  to  rescue  most 
of  the  helpless  in  a  heavy  sea,  though  forty  lives 
were  sacrificed.  Embedded  in  the  wreckage  was  a 
fragment  of  steel  bearing  the  words  "Ruder  unten 
Sperrung."  This  was  an  act  of  ruthless  barbarity, 
for  the  decks  were  black  with  women,  and  no  mis- 
take was  possible.  The  refugees  lost  the  few  treas- 

173 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ures  that  they  had  saved  from  their  destroyed  homes. 
They  were  taken  to  Folkestone,  a  town  which  then 
sheltered  80,000  Belgian  refugees,  and  which  turned 
its  splendid  hotels  over  to  the  sick  and  wounded — 
a  great  example  of  sympathetic  hospitality. 

The  Indian  divisions  came  up  from  Orleans 
October  24  to  act  in  reserve  of  the  Second  Corps, 
which  had  been  forced  to  modify  its  front  and  which 
had  no  reserves.  But  a  new  effort  of  the  enemy  to 
regain  Mont  des  Chats  and  break  through  the  left  of 
the  Third  Corps  just  across  the  frontier  called  a 
brigade  to  Belgium;  while  against  Dorrien's  new 
line  a  massed  attack  captured  Neuve  Chapelle  and 
was  checked  with  difficulty  as  it  attempted  to  push 
down  the  road  to  Bethune  on  the  27th,  just  as  a 
British  attack  on  La  Bassee  had  broken  down  be- 
fore machine  guns  masked  in  brick  fields.  Next  day, 
the  Indians  moved  into  line,  regained  some  lost 
ground,  and  straightened  the  line. 

After  the  arrival  of  the  Indian  Corps,  the  Meerut 
and  Lahore  divisions  under  "Jim"  Willcocks,  the 
Kiplingesque  touch  was  no  longer  lacking.  The 
camps  of  Hindus,  Sikhs,  and  Mohammedans  pre- 
served their  startling  individuality,  and  our  passing 
glances  proved  the  tact  with  which  the  British  hold 
the  loyal  cooperation  of  Oriental  races.  Everything 
had  been  done  to  meet  the  rigid  fastidiousness  of 
caste.  Herds  of  goats  were  sent  up  to  be  slaugh- 
tered according  to  ritual,  for  the  Hindus  must  not 

174 


THE  FRONT  IN  FLANDERS 

look  on  the  flesh  of  cattle.  The  Mohammedan  re- 
volts at  pork,  the  British  soldier  must  have  beef 
and  bacon,  and  the  Sikh  can  only  face  canned  mut- 
ton. The  Mohammedan  smokes,  but  drinks  tea  only ; 
to  the  Sikh,  tobacco  is  unclean. 

The  regiments  of  each  race  are  childishly  jeal- 
ous of  each  other.  Units  taunted  each  other  before 
attacks  or  enjoyed  a  mad  race  to  the  German 
trenches,  afterward  quarreling  over  the  winner  until 
their  brigadier,  a  Solomon,  declared  it  a  dead  heat. 
These  men  were  led  by  the  princes  of  their  own 
states,  with  a  leaven  of  British  officers.  Each  com- 
mand was  voluntarily  offered  for  active  service  after 
a  conference  of  the  heads  of  Indian  states  passively 
hostile  to  each  other  by  tradition,  nationality,  and 
religion.  They  came  from  the  Himalayas  and  the 
scorching  plains  of  Hindustan — Beluchis,  Sikhs, 
Dogras,  Pathans,  Jats,  and  mild  Bengalis,  with  the 
snappy  Gorkas,  a  fighting  cousin  of  the  Jap.  The 
Punjab,  Bengal,  Bombay,  and  Madras  each  contri- 
buted their  contingents.  Among  the  maharajas  who 
were  at  the  front  were  Sir  Pertab  Singh,  Regent  of 
Jodhpur,  a  veteran  soldier  of  '71,  and  the  Maharaja 
of  Jodhpur,  aged  eighteen,  commanding  the  famous 
cavalry  of  his  state. 

Hassgesang  gegen  England!  Cheer  the  subtlety 
of  77  Wilhelmstrasse !  Airships  persistently  bom- 
barded the  lines  of  the  high  caste  Aryan  Hindus 
with  leaflets  in  Urdu  announcing  that  a  Holy  War 

175 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

on  England  had  been  declared  by  the  Sheik-ul-Islam 
at  Mecca.  This  effort  was  worthy  of  the  intelligence 
which  sent  a  one-armed  Prussian  officer  to  Cuba  to 
assure  the  American  soldiers  privately  that  an  at- 
tack on  Santiago  was  hopeless  and  the  climate  deadly 
— propaganda  which  made  this  gentleman  an  in- 
dignant guest  of  Uncle  Sam  until  he  could  be  sent 
north. 

By  November  1,  the  Germans  had  four  active  and 
five  reserve  corps,  a  marine  division,  and  a  cavalry 
corps  in  Belgium.  The  Bavarians  had  five  active 
and  two  and  a  half  reserve  corps,  and  cavalry  be- 
tween Arras  and  Belgium.  Four  active  and  one  and 
a  half  reserve  corps  were  between  Arras  and  the 
Somme  in  the  Second  Army.  Ten  active  and  nine 
reserve  corps  were  on  the  Oise  and  Aisne  front 
to  the  Verdun  sectors,  where  the  Crown  Prince's 
Fifth  Army  formed  the  curving  link  with  the  forces 
covering  the  frontier.  A  total  of  fifty-two  corps 
were  in  the  Franco-Belgian  area. 


CHAPTER  VII 

DEADLOCK 

RECALL  Bloch's  forgotten  prophecy  that  modern 
war  must  degenerate  into  siege  operations,  barren 
of  decisive  results  and  demanding  campaigns  that  can 
be  ended  only  by  exhaustion  of  the  resources  of  one 
or  both  sides.  October  crept  out  and  November 
dawned  in  icy  drizzle,  fog  and  sleet  that  inaugurated 
a  winter  of  unprecedented  severity.  Each  side 
grew  stronger,  each  side  dug  in,  and  offensives 
launched  in  either  direction  failed. 

But  the  Teuton  armies  refused  to  bow  to  predes- 
tined conditions.  Their  masses  were  "invincible," 
and  must  conquer.  Their  plan  of  breaking  up  the 
Allied  left  above  Noyon  had  failed.  The  hope  of 
swarming  like  a  flood  above  Arras  had  also. been 
chastened.  Thwarted  by  the  British  rush  to  North 
France  and  ten  days  of  failure  in  a  series  of  des- 
perate attacks  at  La  Bassee,  advance  below  Lille  was 
stopped. 

But  hills  dominating  the  narrow  straits  of  Dover 
and  the  port  of  Calais,  which  legend  says  was 
printed  across  the  heart  of  one  ambitious  queen, 
could  be  reached  from  Belgium  across  a  few  miles 

177 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

of  low  land  and  sand  dunes.  A  thin  exposed  line  of 
defense  alone  barred  the  way  to  the  point  where 
siege  guns  and  close  submarine  bases  could  still 
strike  a  blow  at  British  security. 

In  early  November,  therefore,  battering  rams  of 
men  were  mobilized  in  Belgium  to  break  through. 
Twelve  army  corps  and  four  corps  of  cavalry  gath-; 
ered  north  of  Lille  to  do  the  work. 

The  French  Ninth  Corps,  forming  on  the  British 
left,  took  over  the  northern  sector  of  the  Ypres 
defenses,  consolidating  with  Grossetti's  division  and 
other  units  to  form  the  Eighth  French  Army  under 
General  Dubail.  The  first  blow  of  the  November 
battle  was  given  by  three  corps  hurled  against  the 
British  at  Gheluvelt,  apex  of  the  salient,  due  east  of 
Ypres.  With  more  bravery  than  skill,  companies  of 
the  highly  educated  volunteers  supplementing  the 
Ersatz  regiments  led  the  advance.  The  'German 
patriots,  famous  in  art,  science  and  finance,  led  the 
first  assault  after  a  terrific  howitzer  fire  had 
crumpled  up  parts  of  the  British  trenches.  But 
with  equal  fortitude  the  shaken  British  were  clinging 
to  the  debris,  withholding  their  fire  as  the  line  moved 
forward  singing  the  national  hymn,  until  within  bat- 
tle-sight range.  Then  a  burst  of  magazine  fire  shat- 
tered the  German  formation. 

Again  a  cascade  of  high  explosives  swept  the 
British  position;  trenches  caved  in;  survivors  were 
buried  alive  in  a  mass  of  sand  and  human  debris. 

178 


But  again  as  massed  lines  charged,  the  dogged  Brit- 
ish soldiers  shattered  the  formation.  These  German 
volunteers  fought  with  a  sublime  devotion  to  their 
cause  and  country,  with  a  zeal  that  made  the  chival- 
rous British  and  French  risk  their  lives  to  drag 
wounded  survivors  to  safety  and  give  them  the  place 
of  honor  in  the  field  hospitals. 

Dazed  and  stunned  by  hours  of  renewed  bombard- 
ment when  the  genius  of  Krupp,  from  a  saf e  dis- 
tance, dropped  heavy  shells  of  such  size  and  in  such 
profusion  that  their  bursting  alone  made  the  actual 
reports  of  the  Allies*  guns  in  reply  sound  like  fire- 
crackers versus  thunder,  the  British  continued  to 
hold.  They  were  pitifully  supported  by  inadequate 
field  guns  soon  masked  and  checked  as  the  Germans 
increased  their  range  and  diverted  their  shower  of 
projectiles  from  the  trenches  to  the  batteries  in  rear 
and  covered  the  advance  of  four  columns  of  Teuton 
soldiers  from  Hoelbeck,  from  the  Belgian  village 
America,  which  few  have  discovered,  and  points  on 
the  Menin-Ypres  road.  These  swept  forward  in  suc- 
cessive waves  of  men  in  close  order,  following  the 
Japanese  idea.  The  first  line  was  annihilated;  the 
second  was  close  to  the  parapets  before  it  dissolved 
in  bloody  groups ;  the  third  was  tearing  through  the 
shell-wrecked  barbed  barricade  and  closing  with  the 
bayonet  before  it  received  attention,  and  during  this 
struggle  the  fourth  line  dashed  in  intact,  overwhelm- 
ing a  big  section  of  the  line  and  capturing  Ghelu- 

179 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

velt,  the  apex  of  the  defense.  Through  the  breach 
in  the  British  lines  eager  German  reinforcements 
poured  up  the  Ypres  road.  But  the  field  artillery 
continued  the  battle  alone,  with  case  shot,  many  guns 
being  run  forward  by  hand,  inflicting  and  receiving 
terrible  losses  as  it  smashed  formations,  until  staff 
officers  gathered  mixed  forces  even  from  the  hospi- 
tals and  charged,  retaking  Gheluvelt  with  the  bayo- 
net. As  the  entire  front  was  engaged  by  covering 
attacks,  no  help  could  be  spared  from  other  sectors. 
Next  day  these  sorry,  improvised  forces  were 
hard  pressed  in  the  broken  trenches,  without  support 
under  more  extended  assaults.  With  roads  almost 
impassable  on  foot,  British  cavalry  were  ordered  to 
go  up  mounted  from  their  billets,  tie  their  horses  and 
move  to  the  front  to  reenf orce  the  line.  But  reviving 
the  tradition  of  the  Battle  of  the  Spurs  once  fought  in 
Flanders,  the  troopers  rode  right  up  into  action  in 
the  Zillebeke  woods,  now  swarming  with  the  enemy. 
With  a  cheer  they  charged  among  the  trees,  many 
using  spades  which  in  trench  work  were  often  might- 
ier than  the  sword.  The  French  cavalry,  follow- 
ing them,  also  broke  into  a  gallop,  and  as  the  action 
of  machine  guns  was  retarded  by  the  woods,  they  also 
rode  the  Germans  down  and  cleared  the  section. 
During  the  action  the  German  Fifteenth  Corps,  ade- 
quately supported  by  artillery,  were  thrice  repulsed 
when  storming  a  wide  sector  held  only  by  a  de- 
pleted brigade.  And  the  line  of  the  Allies  was  then 

180 


DEADLOCK 

so  thin  that  there  were  no  resting  reserves — merely 
supports  always  under  shell  fire. 

On  November  10  airmen  reported  great  activity  at 
Menin.  The  presence  of  a  protective  air  flotilla  an- 
nounced the  arrival  of  the  Kaiser.  Daybreak  on 
the  llth  opened  a  terrific  bombardment  of  both  the 
British  and  the  French  lines,  southeast  and  north- 
east of  Ypres.  An  overwhelming  battering  ram  was 
prepared,  backed  by  huge  guns  from  Antwerp,  and 
tipped  by  the  First  and  Fourth  Brigades  of  Prus- 
sian Guards  brought  over  from  Arras. 

At  a  given  signal  a  bombardment  engaged  every 
sector  along  the  north  front,  and  then  the  huge 
bolt  of  men  was  launched  at  the  British  line,  again 
toward  Gheluvelt.  Earlier  days  had  depleted  the 
stock  of  British  shells,  and  ten  days  of  desperate 
fighting  had  ruined  several  of  the  pitifully  few  ma- 
chine guns,  when  the  Guards  charged  in  successive 
waves.  The  first  mass  was  swept  away ;  the  second 
reached  the  shaken  trenches  with  the  bayonet;  the 
third  line  swept  over  men  fighting  desperately  for 
their  lives,  and  went  cheering  madly  across  the 
wooded  district  toward  the  city. 

But  their  formation  was  broken  in  crossing  the 
trenches ;  the  ground  was  a  quagmire  from  constant 
rain,  and  they  were  soon  masking  their  own  guns. 
Field  guns,  pushed  through  the  mud,  met  them.  Dis- 
mounted Horse  Guards,  Northampton  reservists  four 
months  from  their  cobbler 's  benches,  Gloucester 

181 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

fanners,  cotton  spinners  of  the  Lancasters,  and  the 
Midget  Rifles,  pigmies  against  the  six-foot  Prus- 
sians, came  up  from  different  directions,  and  with 
scant  formations  went  into  the  fray.  For  two  hours 
fighting  more  like  a  desperate  riot  raged,  a  conflict 
fatal  for  troops  trained  in  close-order  formation. 
Without  orders,  many  French  soldiers  also  fought 
like  lions  as  individuals  until  the  bewildered  Guards 
staggered  back  over  the  captured  trenches  filled 
chiefly  with  dead  and  wounded. 

Before  the  British  could  repair  their  trenches  two 
fresh  assaults  were  made  by  other  brigades,  but 
these  also  were  both  repulsed.  At  daybreak  the 
Guards,  reenf  orced,  determined  to  retrieve  their  de- 
feat by  an  attack  against  the  French  on  the  north- 
east. The  result  was  the  same,  for  though  the  last 
two  masses  broke  through,  the  fire  of  the  famous  75 
guns  broke  the  formation  and  morale  of  the  invaders. 
Then  the  supports,  including  cooks  and  lightly 
wounded,  were  loosed,  and  expelled  them  with  the 
bayonet. 

The  battle  losses  of  the  Germans  were  appalling. 
But  their  superiority  in  heavy  artillery  and  machine 
guns  enabled  them  to  maintain  their  defensive  points 
with  a  minimum  of  exposure.  On  normal  days  their 
casualties  were  trivial,  while  the  losses  of  the  Allies 
maintained  a  heavy  average,  and  continued  until 
they  could  create  and  train  adequate  heavy  field  ar- 
tillery, which  was  necessarily  a  tedious  and  difficult 

182 


DEADLOCK 

process  after  years  of  pacific  army  estimates.  In 
October  that  small  British  army  lost  3,013  officers 
and  69,017  men,  in  saving  Flanders. 

During  these  days  of  stress  Lord  Eoberts  was  in 
France  visiting'  his  East  Indian  comrades.  Ask 
Tommy  Atkins  if  exposure  in  the  icy  wind  killed 
this  veteran  hero  amid  the  roar  of  the  guns  and 
among  the  men  he  loved  so  well.  He  will  tell  you 
that  "Bobs"  died  of  a  broken  heart.  The  aged 
Field  Marshal  found  remnants  of  battalions  that  he 
had  once  led  to  victory,  depleted  by  losses  of  ninety 
per  cent.  What  must  his  emotions  have  been  when 
he  saw  the  result  of  his  neglected  warnings  I  For 
years  he  prophesied  that  this  war  would  come  unless 
the  British  maintained  a  large  reserve  army  with 
full  equipment,  which  would  be  a  guaranty  of  peace. 
His  advice  was  derided  by  pacifists.  The  statesmen 
who  were  feverishly  trying  to  create  a  huge  army 
overnight  had  once  been  his  most  bitter  oppo- 
nents. 

Measures  for  modernizing  and  doubling  the  Brit- 
ish artillery  establishment  were  voted  down  by  a 
party  tinged  with  socialism  and  theoretical  ideals, 
when  the  changes  in  the  Balkans,  and  Austria's  jeal- 
ousy of  Servian  aspirations,  had  made  the  risk  of 
war  acute.  With  a  prepared  England  in  the  back- 
ground, who  can  believe  that  the  Central  Powers 
would  have  chosen  war  instead  of  arbitration?  And 
now  the  enemy  was  practically  in  sight  of  the  Chan- 

183 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

nel  ports,  and  living  bodies  formed  the  barrier  which 
should  have  been  held  by  potential  guns  and  screens 
of  shells.  Military  preparation  may  not  avert  war, 
but  the  lack  of  it  will  surely  invite  hostilities. 
Broadway  audiences  ridiculed  the  play  "The  Eng- 
lishman's Home,"  but  National  Guard  officers  ad- 
vised their  men  to  see  it,  for  its  lessons  were  inter- 
national, and  the  scenes  might  well  have  been  laid 
in  any  New  York  suburb. 

Besides  Lord  Eoberts,  who  died  on  November  14, 
the  fall  campaign  claimed  other  victims  known  in 
the  United  States.  The  Duke  of  Hesse  was  killed 
on  the  Mont  des  Chats ;  Julius  Foehr,  once  popular 
manager  of  the  North  German  Lloyd,  fell  when 
leading  his  platoon  of  the  King  Karl  Grenadiers  in 
the  desperate  Yser  fighting.  On  the  British  side, 
Prince  Maurice  of  Battenberg,  cousin  of  King 
George  and  brother  of  the  Queen  of  Spain,  and  as 
modest  and  brave  as  his  father  who  lost  his  life  in 
the  Ashanti  Expedition,  was  mortally  wounded. 
Lieutenant  St.  George,  grandson  of  G.  F.  Baker,  the 
New  York  banker,  was  killed  in  the  fight  with  the 
Prussian  Guards  before  Ypres. 

In  November  a  severe  winter  set  in.  Life  along 
the  opposing  lines  became  a  nightmare  of  horror, 
with  every  trench  a  ditch  of  half -frozen  water  which 
all  ingenuity  failed  to  overcome.  Blocked  in  their 
advance  to  the  sea  across  Belgium,  the  Germans 
made  a  final  effort  to  smash  through  the  British  lines 

184 


DEADLOCK 

before  Lille  in  December,  the  brunt  of  which  first  fell 
on  the  forces  from  India  and  the  British  brigades  on 
the  La  Bassee  roads.  Misled  by  the  transfer  of 
certain  forces  to  Ypres,  the  Bavarians  concentrated 
suddenly  and  launched  one  of  their  human  battering 
rams  behind  a  curtain  of  shells.  The  advanced 
trenches  were  overwhelmed  and  the  wounded  survi- 
vors were  stamped  on  and  beaten  to  death  in  a  frenzy 
of  rage.  The  British  recaptured  most  of  their 
trenches,  but  at  heavy  cost,  and  the  Germans  had 
gained  some  ground. 

But  it  was  the  last  flicker  of  Germany's  desperate 
battle  for  the  coast,  and  the  offensives  simmered 
down  to  a  monotonous  defensive,  with  artillery  ex- 
changes and  merciless  sniping  on  both  sides  to  re- 
lieve trench  tedium.  Early  in  December  the  French 
made  a  surprise  attack  on  Vermelles,  which  they 
captured  after  a  terrific  hand-to-hand  fight,  strength- 
ening their  junction  with  the  British,  and  gaining  the 
first  step  on  the  way  to  Lens. 

A  succession  of  heavy  snowstorms  was  punctuated 
by  thaws  which  added  greatly  to  the  suffering  of  the 
soldiers.  Protected  by  the  morass  before  them, 
the  Germans  now  reaped  the  benefit  of  their  numer- 
ous machine  guns,  maintaining  miles  of  advanced 
lines  with  light  forces,  and  withdrawing  the  bulk  of 
their  troops  to  comparative  comfort  behind  the  firing 
line.  Huge  reinforcements  were  also  sent  to  the  east 
front,  since  costly  experience  had  taught  them  how 

185 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

slender  a  line  could  maintain  a  defense   against 
overwhelming  odds. 

Christmas  awoke  the  strongest  whisper  of  interna- 
tional brotherhood  heard  in  the  war.  By  mutual 
consent  firing  stopped  at  midnight,  and  Christmas 
morning  brought  many  heads  above  the  opposing 
trenches,  and  a  tacit  truce  was  actuated  by  a  common 
impulse.  Along  the  British  front  officers  and  men  of 
both  armies  were  soon  flocking  across  the  danger 
zone,  grasping  hands  and  exchanging  gifts.  If  the 
fate  of  nations  could  be  decided  by  the  rank  and  file, 
peace  and  a  lasting  friendship  would  have  been 
struck  up  then.  Boers  and  Britons  have  made  a 
lasting  peace  because  local  conditions  gave  those 
who  actually  fought  on  both  sides  a  great  part  in 
the  final  adjustment.  In  Germany  a  newspaper 
that  printed  a  photograph  of  the  rival  soldiers  fra- 
ternizing was  suppressed.  But  at  midnight  the 
truce  ended,  and  the  tiresome  vigil  in  trenches  knee- 
deep  in  icy  water  was  resumed,  with  hundreds  of 
victims  of  frostbite  daily,  and  hospitals  busy  with 
amputations. 

The  new  year  started  with  the  newspaper  chatter 
of  a  great  Allied  offensive,  which  made  those  who 
knew  conditions  smile.  While  the  Allies  had 
checked  Germany's  amazing  preparation  with  a  de- 
fined boundary,  their  successes  had  been  chiefly  de- 
fensive, at  an  appalling  cost.  "With  enough  ammu- 
nition an  enemy,  numerically  vastly  inferior,  can 

186 


DEADLOCK 

maintain  a  fortified  line.  The  British  had  agreed 
to  land  an  expeditionary  force  of  150,000  men.  In 
six  months  their  losses  were  almost  double  that  num- 
ber, and  they  were  maintaining  an  army  of  350,000 
on  a  line  short  if  estimated  by  miles,  but  difficult  and 
costly,  when  we  considered  the  exposed  position  in 
Flanders,  and  the  operations  which  virtually  en- 
tailed the  siege  of  Lille — in  direct  communication 
with  Berlin,  and  one  of  the  most  formidable  points 
of  German  defense. 

Many  were  scoffing  at  the  delay  in  equipping 
Kitchener's  new  army.  The  first  million  rifles  or- 
dered in  the  United  States  were  promised  for  deliv- 
ery in  nine  months  to  a  year.  Dies  necessary  to 
make  parts  of  machine  guns  could  only  be  supplied 
in  six  months.  For  some  months  nearly  three  mil- 
lions of  the  finest  men  in  the  British  Isles  were  drill- 
ing with  old  rifles  and  sticks  while  government 
plants,  working  night  and  day,  were  just  able  to  meet 
the  wastage  of  rules  at  the  front  and  supply  enough 
weapons  for  effective  target  practice  for  the  new 
army.  Japanese  rifles  bridged  one  gap,  but  it 
needed  a  year  to  create  factories  to  turn  out  an 
ample  supply,  and  two  years  for  adequate  artillery 
and  shells. 

On  January  8,  after  a  rainstorm,  the  Aisne  was  in 
flood,  temporary  bridges  were  swept  away,  and  the 
Germans  rushed  storm  troops  by  rail  to  Laon  for  a 
surprise  attack  on  the  unsupported  French.  The 

187 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

first  assault  near  Soissons  was  a  great  success.  A 
huge  gap  was  made  in  the  French  line,  and  trains 
rushed  reinforcements  to  the  scene,  while  the  Ger- 
man press  hinted  at  a  new  drive  on  Paris.  But  on 
the  hills  south  of  the  river  the  French  reserves 
checked  the  advance,  though  the  enemy,  until  1917, 
maintained  a  bridge  head  to  the  south  bank,  and 
some  of  the  high  ground,  up  which  the  British  fought 
their  way  after  the  battle  of  the  Marne,  was  lost. 

Farther  west,  across  Champagne,  as  winter's  grip 
relaxed,  the  French  took  the  offensive,  massing  their 
artillery  to  maintain  a  rideau  de  fer,  section  by  sec- 
tion, along  a  five-mile  front  across  Perthes  to  Beause- 
jour  Farm,  and  pushing  the  German  trenches  back 
by  persistent  infantry  assaults  to  straighten  the 
front. 

In  March,  General  French  decided  upon  a  bold 
stroke  in  north  France  against  the  tangle  of  helmets 
and  crossroads  between  La  Bassee  and  Laventie,  on 
the  end  of  the  Aubers  Ridge,  the  key  to  many  minor 
roads  to  Lille,  and  directly  north  of  and  flanking 
the  strong  German  position  at  La  Bassee  which 
barred  the  route  nationale  from  Lens  north,  and  the 
main  road  from  Bethune  to  Lille. 

The  British  cavalry  had  been  relieving  the  worn 
French  Ninth  Corps  in  Belgium,  which  was  rested 
and  refitted.  The  Fifth  Corps  had  reenforced  the 
depleted  Third  Corps  before  Lille.  The  Canadian 
contingent  had  also  landed  and  afforded  fresh  re- 

188 


DEADLOCK 

serves.  During  the  winter  also  a  new  British  air 
fleet  had  been  equipped  and  trained  and  new  flotillas 
were  formed,  which  assumed  superiority  over  the 
aeroplanes  of  the  enemy.  Taube  after  Taube  was 
shot  down,  and  effective  air  patrols  kept  every  hos- 
tile flier  away  while  the  new  concentration  was 
made.  They  also  destroyed  two  important  forts  of 
Lille  used  by  the  enemy  for  ammunition  stores. 

On  a  narrow  front  600  guns  were  massed  on  the 
line  opposite  Neuve  Chapelle,  and  picked  brigades  of 
General  Haig's  corps  were  brought  down  and  con- 
centrated for  a  surprise  attack  March  10.  Neuve 
Chapelle  was  stormed  and  captured,  the  reserve  line 
was  breached,  and  in  places  the  front  was  penetrated 
to  the  depth  of  a  mile.  But  on  some  sections  re- 
doubts on  the  second  line  resisted  stubbornly  and 
the  irregular  front  made  effective  artillery  support 
difficult.  Three  hours  were  lost  in  readjusting  the 
front,  covering  the  flanks  of  the  far  advanced  line, 
and  rearranging  the  artillery  schedule  in  a  dense  fog 
which  prevented  signaling;  then  heavy  German  re- 
enforcements  checked  further  progress.  Two 
thousand  prisoners  were  taken  with  machine  guns 
and  trench  mortars,  and  the  German  losses 
were  heavy,  though  at  exposed  points  they  had  re- 
treated skillfully  in  echelon,  an  effect  of  their  dis- 
cipline which  restrained  the  suicidal  scramble  so 
frequent  in  evacuating  trenches.  The  British  losses 
were  also  heavy,  572  officers  and  12,230  men,  a  large 

189 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

proportion  of  the  strength  actually  on  the  firing  line. 
But  in  this  vigorous,  though  not  extended,  battle,  the 
artillery  had  used  more  ammunition  than  the  supply 
during  the  entire  South  African  War. 

In  one  fight  before  Ypres  a  British  battalion  fired 
a  million  rounds.  On  the  firing  line  during  recent 
state  maneuvers  the  incessant  cry  of  army  officers 
attached  to  the  National  Guard  was  "  Faster, 
faster."  It  must  be  remembered  that,  though  fire 
superiority  must  be  maintained,  it  is  often  difficult 
to  keep  advanced  trenches  supplied  in  action  when 
communicating  trenches  are  muddy  and  almost  in- 
passable  for  tired  men  with  cases  of  ammunition. 
For  modern  conditions  fire  discipline  is  often  more 
important  than  rigid  accuracy,  and  the  time  in  the 
National  Guard  once  devoted  to  creating  sharpshoot- 
ers and  experts,  is  now  used  in  training  only  for 
trench  sniping;  while  the  imperative  study  of  re- 
serving fire,  delivering  effective  bursts  of  aimed  fire, 
catching  moving  targets  in  open  order,  and  beating 
down  an  attack  with  sweeping  fire  was  generally 
neglected  until  recently.  In  this  period  also  the 
shooting  of  half  trained  units,  brought  up  at  a  criti- 
cal period,  has  proved  more  effective  than  the  vol- 
leys of  trained  men,  aiming  more  deliberately,  but 
at  wrong  range.  Practice  in  judging  ranges  quickly 
has  been  neglected  in  the  National  Guard.  All  over 
England  shooting  galleries  have  sprung  up  with  tar- 
gets of  moving  pictures.  Many  of  the  new  soldiers 

190 


DEADLOCK 

had  already  learned  to  take  quick  sights  at  moving 
objects,  and  from  them  the  best  sharpshooters  have 
been  produced. 

In  advancing,  also,  crouching,  crawling  or  rolling 
to  new  positions  is  a  part  of  the  general  training. 
But  under  modern  conditions  and  flat  trajectory, 
time  is  the  great  factor,  and  a  rapid  dash  across  an 
exposed  zone  is  less  fatal  than  to  squirm  laboriously 
over.  Against  shell  fire  the  British  reserves  ad- 
vance in  squad  and  platoon  columns,  as  in  American 
tactics,  with  great  success. 

The  lesson  of  Neuve  Chapelle  woke  the  British 
Government  up  to  the  crying  need  of  ammunition  and 
heavy  artillery  if  ascendancy  was  to  be  gained. 
Shells  by  the  million,  more  potential  than  shrapnel, 
were  needed,  and  it  was  obvious  that  there  would  be 
no  drive  forward  until  artillery  had  been  created 
wholesale. 

On  April  17  the  British  captured  Hill  60,  a  low 
ridge  south  of  Ypres.  This  success  started  a  new 
and  determined  German  drive  at  the  salient.  Ke- 
enforcements  came  from  Lille  and  Arras,  and  after 
two  days*  preliminary  shelling,  which  drew  strong 
forces  to  repel  the  expected  assault,  the  Germans  on 
the  22nd  astonished  the  world  by  the  first  attack  with 
asphyxiating  gas.  This  first  struck  the  French 
along  the  Pilkem  road.  The  trench  periscopes 
showed  a  yellow  vapor  floating  toward  the  trenches. 
Heavier  than  air,  propelled  by  a  light  wind,  the 

191 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

deadly  fumes  choked  the  men  in  the  first  line,  in 
terrible  agony.  The  British  saw  the  French  in  the 
second  line  rushing  back  in  confusion  while  the  Ger- 
mans mowed  down  the  gasping  men  as  they  retired, 
and  then  charged  and  seized  the  empty  trenches. 
This  exposed  the  flank  of  the  Canadian  division  on 
the  right  to  an  assault  before  which  a  big  section  of 
the  line  sagged  and  crumbled,  the  Germans  bayonet- 
ing the  gunners  of  a  heavy  battery  in  support.  But 
the  Canadians  rallied  and  retook  the  guns,  and  after 
a  night  of  confusion  and  desperate  fighting,  the  Al- 
lies formed  a  modified  line  across  the  captured  gap 
and  held  it. 

But  for  several  days  the  wind  favored  the  use  of 
gas.  The  devilish  cylinders  were  used  on  different 
sections  with  success,  and  the  point  of  the  salient 
was  reduced  for  three  miles  in  a  battle  of  sixteen 
days,  giving  the  enemy  low  but  important  ridges. 
But  in  three  days  British  women  had  made  a  mil- 
lion respirators  for  the  troops,  sufficient  for  their 
entire  battle  front,  and  though  in  the  strongest  fumes 
men  still  died  in  agony  or  lingered  for  three  days  and 
nights  of  torture  while  their  lungs  dissolved,  re- 
serves behind  the  firing  line  were  now  able  to  rush 
through  the  thinning  fumes  so  that  Ypres  was  not 
captured  after  forty  assaults. 

"What  king  going  to  make  war  .  .  .  sitteth  not 
down  first  and  consulteth  whether  he  be  able  with  ten 
thousand  to  meet  him  that  cometh  against  him  with 

192 


DEADLOCK 

twenty  thousand  ? ' '  Neither  the  French  nor  the  Brit- 
ish had  correctly  estimated  the  forces  required  to 
curb  a  German  invasion.  The  anticipation  of  essen- 
tial preparations  which  took  six  months  to  perfect 
would  have  checked  the  invaders  in  Belgium  and 
divided  their  immense  formation  on  the  Meuse. 

But  at  the  close  of  the  winter  campaign  the  Ger- 
mans realized  that  their  invasion  on  the  west  front 
had  reached  its  limit,  and,  while  the  Allies  gathered 
strength  for  a  determined  offensive,  they  devoted 
their  ingenuity  to  make  the  occupied  territory  se- 
cure. With  a  special  force  of  250,000  pioneers  and 
adequate  machinery  and  material,  the  most  vulner- 
able sections  of  the  588  intrenched  miles  of  the  west- 
ern front,  maintained  chiefly  in  foreign  territory, 
were  turned  into  massive  fortifications.  Trenches 
were  scientifically  excavated  by  machinery,  and  miles 
of  main  trenches  were  laid  out  in  concrete.  Ma- 
chine guns  remained  in  deep  vaults,  secure  from  pre- 
paratory bombardment,  to  be  rushed  by  ladder  to 
the  surface  when  the  shell  fire  ceased,  and  the  line 
of  attack  approached.  The  main  lines  were  dry 
and  well  drained,  and  in  many  cases  deep  tunnels 
extended  from  fortified  hills  to  advance  trenches. 
While  the  Allies  were  developing  heavy  artillery,  the 
Germans  were  securing  their  guns  in  steel  case- 
mates, screened  and  invisible  in  earthworks,  and 
making  reserve  battery  positions  of  concrete  deeply 
padded  with  sand  for  their  heavy  guns  and  howitzers 

193 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

on  branch  lines  to  main  railways  by  which  artillery 
and  shells  could  be  rapidly  gathered  at  any  section 
of  the  front. 

Starfish  defenses,  spacious  chambers  under- 
ground, electrically  lighted,  ventilated  and  heated, 
with  tunnels  radiating  in  all  directions  to  the  sur- 
face, to  advance  trenches,  to  the  flanks  and  to  re- 
serve lines  in  rear,  were  a  special  feature  and  in- 
sured adequate  cover,  warm  quarters  for  the  troops 
and  secure  approaches  to  any  section,  front,  flank  or 
rear. 

During  the  campaign  of  1915,  outlined  in  the  fol- 
lowing chapter,  the  French  steadily  reorganized 
their  army  and  offset  the  handicaps  imposed  by 
the  invasion  which  covered  the  homes  of  nine  million 
people,  seventy  per  cent,  of  both  the  coal  and  steel 
production  of  France  and  one-third  of  the  horse 
power  of  her  machinery.  Two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  eleven  French  towns  and  villages  were 
within  the  German  lines — surely  a  concrete  ideal 
for  American  troops  to  help  restore  them  to  a  sister 
republic ! 

Experience  and  time  soon  greatly  improved  con- 
ditions at  the  front.  Joffre  remolded  his  army  at 
the  top.  Ability  was  the  only  test.  He  summarily 
retired  twenty-four  generals  in  the  first  two  phases, 
eleven  of  them  divisional  commanders.  Obscure 
officers  who  had  showed  marked  ability  were  jumped 
to  important  commands,  and  after  its  terrible  vicissi- 

194 


DEADLOCK 

tudes  in  1914  the  spirit  of  the  French  army  in  1915 
proved  the  confidence  all  ranks  retained  in  their 
leader.  The  forces  also  discarded  their  fatally  bril- 
liant uniforms,  which  were  replaced  by  a  cloth  of 
invisible  blue-gray  shot  with  fine  tricolor  threads 
for  tradition.-  This  radically  lightened  the  heavy 
casualty  lists,  which  were  soon  further  lessened  by 
the  adoption  of  the  Adrien  casque,  a  light  steel  hel- 
met which  reduced  the  losses  from  shell  fire  in  the 
trenches.  France  had  only  300  heavy  guns  in  1914 ; 
she  had  6,200  in  1917. 

The  changes  on  the  British  front  were  soon  amaz- 
ing. As  the  original  establishment  of  the  regular 
army  was  seriously  depleted,  it  was  maintained  by  a 
magnificent  type  of  recruits  with  a  stratum  of  ex- 
soldiers.  It  was  then  augmented  by  volunteer  Terri- 
torial regiments  which  were  sent  over  to  act  in  re- 
serve. After  a  short  training  near  the  front,  they 
were  needed  in  the  first  line,  where  they  soon  equaled 
the  regular  troops.  The  London  Scottish,  the  first 
volunteers  in  France  and  first  in  the  firing  line,  went 
up  at  a  critical  period  at  Ypres  just  as  a  section 
south  of  the  salient  was  broken.  They  fixed  bayo- 
nets, dashed  through  the  shell  zone  and  definitely 
repulsed  the  massed  line  of  Germans  who  had  poured 
through  the  gap.  The  London  Rifle  Brigade,  the 
Artists,  the  Honourable  Artillery  Company,  the  Inns 
of  Court  Lawyers,  Queen's  Westminsters  and  other 
crack  London  battalions  were  soon  followed  by  Ter- 

195 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ritorial  volunteer  regiments  from  all  sections  of  the 
country,  and  all  have  covered  themselves  with  glory. 
The  percentage  of  older  men  in  the  ranks  was  large. 
The  lesson  answered  those  critics  in  the  United 
States  who  doubted  the  value  of  the  National  Guard. 

If  the  British  seemed  slow  in  getting  their  stride, 
their  progress  was  sure.  The  Tommy  Atkins  of 
history  was  soon  replaced  by  average  citizens. 
Through  the  voluntary  system  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  the  most  promising  men  in  the  country 
joined  the  Colors.  The  picked  men  sent  out  to  aug- 
ment the  first  line  of  the  army  had  attained  an  aver- 
age of  physical  fitness  and  intelligence  previously 
unsurpassed  in  history.  By  careful  selection,  Kitch- 
ener's first  million  had  mobilized  the  cream  of  the 
man-power  of  the  Empire,  and  by  the  incorporation 
of  successive  battalions  in  the  old  regiments  they 
assumed  the  pride  of  old  traditions,  and  by  simple 
elasticity  the  original  establishment  absorbed  its 
millions. 

In  every  branch  of  equipment,  also,  the  wonderful 
German  machine  was  outstripped.  Every  article 
had  been  selected  to  further  the  comfort,  health  and 
efficiency  of  the  men  at  the  front  under  the  special 
requirements  of  the  campaign.  It  was  an  impres- 
sive sight  to  see  the  first  splendid  regiments  in 
France,  men  of  every  creed  and  class  in  the  ranks, 
recruited  under  stringent  physical  standards,  perfect 
in  drill  and  equipment.  History  would  indeed  have 

196 


DEADLOCK 

been  different  if  one  quarter  of  those  voluntary  re- 
serves had  been  organized  to  become  available  in  the 
early  open  days  when  quality  counted  more.  The 
army  had  now  to  sacrifice  itself  in  the  generally 
fruitless  waste  of  trench  warfare. 

The  loss  of  officers  among  both  French  and  British 
was  appalling.  The  Germans  adopted  stringent 
measures  to  lessen  the  drain,  and  the  days  when 
some  devoted  leaders  actually  rode  to  certain  death 
in  attack  at  the  head  of  the  massed  infantry  were 
soon  over.  Prisoners  soon  complained  that  their 
officers  were  forced  to  remain  in  the  rear  in  attacks. 
But  in  many  battles  twelve  per  cent  of  British  losses 
have  been  officers,  and  a  serious  disproportion  con- 
tinues. 

The  patriotism  which  has  maintained  state  regi- 
ments of  special  efficiency  with  little  Federal  aid 
or  encouragement — organizations  like  the  Seventh 
New  York  and  the  Boston  Cadets — has  in  three  wars 
provided  the  United  States  with  material  for  creat- 
ing officers  by  a  stroke  of  the  pen.  In  the  Civil  War 
nearly  800  Seventh  men  were  given  commissions  with- 
out a  notorious  failure,  and  despite  cruel  misunder- 
standings which  kept  the  regiment  at  home  unwill- 
ingly in  the  Spanish  War,  300  of  its  members  went 
out  as  officers,  and  four  gained  undying  fame  by 
rallying  a  shattered  column  and  leading  it  to  victory 
when  at  San  Juan  a  small  Spanish  force  on  a  narrow 
front  was  inflicting  a  loss  of  120  men  a  minute. 

197 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

With  their  available  supply  of  officers  sadly  im- 
paired, the  British  now  followed  this  example.  The 
famous  volunteer  regiment,  the  Artists'  Bifles,  un- 
der the  Territorial  System  the  Twenty-eighth  Lon- 
don, went  to  the  front  1,200  strong.  The  regular 
army,  in  peace,  patronized  the  volunteers,  but  in 
the  hour  of  need  examination  proved  that  most  of 
the  Artists  were  eligible  for  commissions,  and  they 
received  wholesale  promotion.  The  experiment 
proved  successful.  The  Depot  Battalion  therefore 
sent  its  trained  drafts  out,  and  the  organization  was 
made  an  Officers'  Training  Corps,  with  a  special 
staff  which  was  soon  producing  a  hundred  lieuten- 
ants a  month  for  the  regular  army.  Other  first- 
class  volunteer  regiments  followed  suit  and  bridged 
the  gap  when  a  supply  of  trained  officers  was  vital  to 
maintain  efficiency  at  the  front.  For  the  later  bat- 
talions the  officers  are  chiefly  men  who  enlisted  as 
privates  and  gained  the  nomination  by  sheer  ability 
in  the  field,  so  the  new  troops  are  trained  and  led 
by  men  of  actual  experience. 

It  is  also  interesting  to  note  that  depot  battalions 
of  many  famous  regiments  recruited  and  trained 
thousands  of  men  especially  selected,  of  the  caliber 
suitable  to  uphold  regimental  tradition.  This  has 
supplied  high-class  troops  for  special  emergency  and 
might  well  be  copied  in  the  United  States  now  by 
encouraging  the  recruiting  of  men  by  special  organi- 
zations to  supplement  the  draft. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  BATTLES  OF  1915— ARGONNE— ARTOIS— LOOS- 
CHAMPAGNE 

ALONG  the  Franco-German  frontier  from  Switzer- 
land north  the  Germans  were  chiefly  intrenched  on 
their  own  soil,  with  the  French  holding  a  long  strip 
of  Lower  Alsace,  in  sight  of  the  Rhine,  with  guns 
dominating  but  sparing  Altkirch,  and  the  tricolor 
again  waving  over  some  Alsatian  towns  on  the  bor- 
der. Hartmanns-Weilerkopf  and  other  heights  in 
the  Vosges  were  shared  by  both  armies  where  the 
French  fought  their  way  to  the  top  but  were  unable 
to  force  the  Germans  down  on  the  other  side.  The 
French  held  Metzeral  and  maintained  the  chief  ap- 
proaches to  Colmar,  points  invaluable  for  pushing 
the  war  on  German  soil.  Farther  north,  the  areas  so 
terribly  devastated  in  the  early  invasion  were  solidly 
French  again,  with  farming  going  on  and  people  re- 
pairing homes  in  reach  of  the  guns,  and  the  Germans 
holding  on  the  edge  of  the  frontier  up  to  Pont-a- 
Mousson  where  the  St.  Mihiel  salient  begins.  Guns 
on  the  outer  Metz  defenses  enfiladed  the  French  line 
and  checked  all  attacks  to  expel  this  wedge. 

The  extraordinary  efforts  made  to  isolate  and 
invest  Verdun  at  long  range  by  driving  in  south  of 

199 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  fortress,  and  on  the  west  of  the  wide  ellipse  of 
trenches  protecting  it,  marked  the  German  offensives 
of  1915.  Aiming  at  Les  Eparges,  and  supported  by 
the  Foot  Artillery  of  the  Prussian  Inspection  with 
heavy  guns,  the  forces  from  Metz  under  General 
Strantz  gained  important  positions  early  in  the  year. 
Gas  clouds  played  the  chief  part.  But  the  French 
regained  the  heights  of  Les  Eparges,  enfilading  the 
advance  along  the  valley  of  Longeau,  though  much 
ground  was  gained  by  the  enemy. 

These  efforts  were  seconded  by  the  army  of  the 
Crown  Prince  on  the  front  extending  north  of  the 
fortress,  through  Etain,  Montfaucon  and  Varennes 
and  across  the  Argonne  hog's-back.  Unable  to 
make  progress  against  the  immediate  outworks  of 
Verdun  created  and  maintained  by  Sarrail,  the  royal 
general  soon  concentrated  his  efforts  on  his  right 
wing.  After  the  Marne  battle  the  Fifth  German 
Army  had  uncovered  the  railroad  from  Chalons  to 
Verdun  and  lost  the  defile  of  Les  Islettes,  Clermont, 
and  control  of  the  Vienna  road  near  their  present 
front  far  from  the  main  approaches  to  the  fortress 
and  the  best  roads  across  the  forest,  though  the 
French  pursuit  had  ended  ten  miles  south  of  their 
present  line. 

After  many  futile  assaults  the  Crown  Prince  made 
a  determined  drive  from  Varennes  February  16, 
which  was  decisively  checked  and  followed  by  a  coun- 
ter offensive  by  the  French,  who  charged  the  in- 

200 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

trenched  slope  of  Vauquois  with  the  bayonet  Feb- 
ruary 28  and  reached  the  edge  of  the  village,  but 
were  forced  back.  They  extended  the  sphere  of 
their  bombardment,  and  broke  down  the  flanking  fire, 
while  the  Tenth  Division,  sworn  to  get  back  to  Vau- 
quois, fought  night  and  day  until  March  5,  when 
they  seized  the  houses  opposite  the  main  German 
line  where  artillery  fire  was  restricted  and  counter 
attacks  by  the  Kaiser 's  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
Wurttemberg  could  not  dislodge  them.  The  French 
communications  in  the  valley  were  no  longer  domi- 
nated, and  their  guns  could  now  sweep  the  Four  de 
Paris  road. 

For  several  weeks  comparative  quiet  reigned  on 
both  fronts.  More  heavy  guns  reached  the  east  front 
while  in  the  Argonne;  romantic  bridle  paths  were 
turned  into  military  roads.  Von  Mudra,  Germany's 
leading  military  engineer,  was  in  charge  of  the 
work.  The  Crown  Prince  concentrated  his  men  and 
artillery  on  the  western  edge  of  the  Forest,  aiming 
at  the  main  communications  from  Champagne  to 
Verdun.  On  June  20  the  old  battle  was  renewed 
below  Varennes  with  gas  and  massed  attacks,  but 
the  operations  were  a  mask  west  of  which  the  main 
effort  was  made. 

General  Sarrail  had  been  transferred  to  the  Dar- 
danelles when  his  defenses  received  their  second 
tribute  by  the  entire  change  of  attack.  Miles  from 
Verdun  the  Crown  Prince  had  concentrated  the  Six- 

201 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

teenth  Army  Corps  to  drive  between  La  Grurie  and 
the  Four  de  Paris.  Clouds  of  deadly  chlorine  and 
sulphur  chloride,  released  at  dawn,  surprised  and 
suffocated  the  men  in  the  French  trenches  on  a  front 
of  four  miles.  Tons  of  heavy  projectiles  rained 
through  the  gas  clouds,  tearing  up  the  wire  and 
breaking  up  the  French  reserves. 

Donning  their  masks,  driblets  of  French  reserves, 
however,  reached  the  trenches,  and  standing  among 
their  writhing  comrades,  poured  determined  volleys 
into  the  first  mass  of  Germans,  stopping  desperate 
charges  which  had  been  delayed  by  the  density  of 
the  gas.  Two  mines  were  exploded  at  Bagatelle,  and 
only  there  was  the  front  pierced  and  two  sections  of 
trenches  occupied. 

For  two  weeks  the  new  artillery  positions  belched 
heavy  shells,  during  which  the  French  strengthened 
their  reserve  positions,  brought  up  fresh  field  bat- 
teries, and  withdrew  their  men  secretly  from  the 
front  trenches.  One  artillery  post  alone  recorded 
the  receipt  of  1,826  large  shells,  only  eleven  of 
which  affected  the  cleverly  screened  battery.  One 
shell  penetrated  the  dugout  of  the  French  staff,  but 
was  blindganger  and  did  no  damage.  Then  clouds 
of  gas  descended  on  the  torn,  evacuated  trenches  on 
which  every  French  field  gun  was  also  ranged,  and 
when  the  massed  Germans  delivered  the  assault  they 
were  met  and  repulsed  by  the  rapid  fire  of  the  75  's, 
while  the  soldiers  held  the  reserve  lines  in  compara- 

202 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

tive  security.  Charge  after  charge  was  broken  up, 
but  on  a  mile  front  the  Germans  finally  gained  a 
footing  at  night  in  the  old  trenches.  But  every  effort 
to  extend  the  gain  was  beaten  down  by  artillery,  and 
the  German  loss  was  heavy  for  a  negligible  gain. 

Undeterred  by  his  casualties,  telegraphing  his 
father  "We  are  resuming!  the  offensive  that  we 
love,"  telling  his  troops  that  they  would  celebrate 
the  war's  anniversary  by  breaking  through,  the 
Crown  Prince  resumed  operations  in  the  Argonne 
August  1.  The  front  was  now  more  complicated, 
the  opposing  trenches  frequently  close,  and  the  Ger- 
mans employed  the  new  flammenwerfer  which 
poured  blazing  liquid  on  the  French  while  a  shell 
curtain  checked  the  reserves.  The  inferno  defies 
the  imagination.  The  German  infantry  rushed  the 
trenches,  and  ended  the  misery  of  men  who  fought 
in  blind  frenzy  with  eyes  burnt  out,  or  squirmed  in 
helpless  agony  with  flesh  scorched  off  to  the  bone. 
Masses  of  troops  poured  into  the  lines,  and  on  two 
sides  assailed  and  captured  Hill  213,  and  a  strong 
footing  was  gained  in  the  French  lines  toward  St. 
Hubert. 

But  the  French  infantry  saw  some  of  their  burned 
comrades  and  were  stirred  to  fury.  Their  attempts 
to  regain  the  hill  were  swept  away,  but  they  recap- 
tured all  their  main  trenches,  and  restored  the  line. 

Desperate  bravery,  huge  losses,  and  barbarous 
tactics  signalized  the  futile  efforts  to  invest  Verdun. 
•  203 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

But  farmers  within  the  bastion  of  fieldworks  and 
forts  with  a  face  of  seventy-two  miles,  gathered  the 
second  harvest  in  the  lines,  hardly  hearing  a  gun, 
and  the  only  casualty  in  the  city  was  one  girl  killed 
by  an  aeroplane  bomb. 

The  great  French  effort,  extending  over  1915,  was 
aimed  at  the  huge  tangle  of  defenses  and  earth- 
works pushed  westward  between  Arras  and  Lens 
along  the  series  of  hills  and  ridges  in  an  almost  im- 
penetrable barrier.  For  eight  months  the  Germans 
had  labored  to  link  up  every  natural  and  artificial 
defense  in  the  district  to  form  a  barricade  to  the 
plains  of  Douai  and  its  vital  communications  by 
road  and  rail,  at  which  the  French  were  aiming. 
Trenched  ridges,  hills,  quarries,  steel-clad  forts  hid- 
den in  the  face  of  cliffs,  tunnels  for  communication, 
concrete  defenses,  catacombs  dug  deeply  in  chalk 
with  only  embrasures  for  guns  opening  on  the  face 
of  the  ridges,  machine  guns  and  batteries  hidden  for 
cross-fire  at  every  possible  angle,  and  miles  of  barbed 
wire,  created  the  tangled  Gibraltar  of  the  western 
front.  Between  Vermelles  and  Arras  a  blunt  salient 
pointed  west,  its  edges  embracing  the  heights  of 
Lorette,  Ablain,  Carency,  and  La  Targette,  across 
the  terrible  Labyrinth  to  Arras,  with  the  massif, 
Vimy  Eidge,  as  a  backbone. 

Only  a  sanguinary  guerre  de  forteresse  could  hope 
to  succeed.  General  d'Urbal  succeeded  Maud'huy 
in  command.  Terrible  and  futile  fighting  had  oc- 

204 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

curred  at  various  points.  In  May  a  new  plan 
was  tried  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Foch. 
After  sunset  on  May  8  guns  were  concentrated  round 
the  curved  nose  of  the  salient  which  bulged  across 
the  Bethune  road,  and  at  daybreak  on  Sunday  the 
9th,  unusually  sultry,  a  heavy  bombardment  burst 
on  the  chosen  front.  But  the  Bavarians  were  alert, 
having  noticed  that  wire  had  been  removed  from 
gaps  in  the  French  positions. 

For  three  hours  the  French  guns  continued,  nota- 
bly before  Ablain  and  Carency,  which  received  20,- 
000  shells  before  8  A.  M.,  when  huge  mines  were  ex- 
ploded at  two  points  and  selected  battalions  from 
the  Twenty-first  and  Thirty-third  Corps  broke 
through  the  German  line,  while  the  Ninth  Corps 
launched  a  covering  attack  farther  north  before 
Loos. 

General  Foch  had  now  trained  his  armies  to  new, 
scientific  offensive  tactics.  The  Germans  rapidly 
concentrated  on  their  main  position,  before  Souchez, 
but  the  French  broke  through  midway  between  the 
strongest  advanced  positions  at  Ablain  and  Carency, 
and  moved  north  and  south  behind  them,  practically 
isolating  these  strongholds.  The  attack  was  per- 
fectly planned.  Before  the  first  phase  could  be  dealt 
with,  fresh  mines  were  exploded  toward  La  Targette 
and  Ecurie,  and  again  the  French  broke  through, 
enfilading  and  rolling  up  the  first  lines  farther 
south.  The  Landwehr  from  the  lower  Rhine,  re- 

205 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

enforced  by  Bavarian  cavalry  (dismounted),  were 
unable  to  check  the  French  onslaught.  The  attack 
here  was  led  by  the  Second  Regiment,  First  Foreign 
Legion,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cot,  with  a  com- 
pany of  Americans  fighting  for  France.  The  first 
battalion  was  terribly  mauled  getting  through  the 
wire,  but  the  three  remaining  battalions  captured  La 
Targette,  and,  joining  the  Turcos,  swept  on  through 
Neuville  St.  Vaast,  where  every  house  was  fortified. 
In  these  operations  the  Legionnaires  lost  2,000  men, 
including  many  Americans.  Carency  and  Ablain 
were  now  isolated  except  for  communicating  tunnels, 
and  in  the  rear  the  Zouaves,  raked  by  two  fires, 
moved  to  the  north  and  gained  a  footing  in  the  end 
of  the  trenches  at  the  foot  of  the  Lorette  heights. 
The  Germans  fought  desperately  but  could  not  eject 
the  French  from  their  communication  trenches. 

Artillery  could  not  reach  the  deep  recesses  of  the 
machine  guns  in  the  quarries  of  Carency,  and  for 
three  days  the  French  had  to  advance  yard  by  yard, 
bombing  their  way  along  the  German  communicating 
trenches.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  12th  the  Zouaves 
charged  across  an  open  field,  tore  down  the  barbed 
wire  and  reached  a  deep  cutting  and  tunnel  leading  to 
Lorette.  At  sunset  a  white  flag  was  raised  over 
Carency,  and  a  thousand  troops  surrendered.  But 
1,200  French  bodies  were  tangled  in  the  wire  which 
was  torn  down  by  hand  in  the  last  advance. 

The  French  maintained  steady  progress.  The 

206 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

Crown  Prince  of  Bavaria  had  flung  forward  every 
spare  man  in  the  district,  but  Carency,  Neuville,  the 
historic  heights  of  Lorette,  and  afterward  Ablain, 
became  solid  rewards  for  Foch's  new  tactics  of  ad- 
vancing  by  the  German  communicating  trenches  after 
the  troops  had  broken  through  the  outer  tangle  of 
positions  and  hills  that  constituted  the  advanced 
line. 

Until  June  12  the  operations  were  continued,  the 
Baden  regiments  holding  on  stubbornly,  the  French 
sapping,  mining  and  bombing  their  way  forward 
through  the  intrenchments  toward  Souchez.  From 
the  12th  to  the  16th  the  French  carried  on  a  des- 
perate offensive  in  which  the  African  divisions 
and  the  Foreign  Legion  again  played  a  part.  The 
fortified  sugar  refinery  was  taken  in  a  furious  rough 
and  tumble  fight,  and  the  railroad  station  was  sur- 
prised, captured,  and  held  against  violent  counter 
attacks.  But  here  the  French  were  pinned  down  for 
three  months  before  the  final  capture  of  the  fortified 
town  and  cemetery  held  by  the  Iron  Corps  of  Bran- 
denburg to  lines  enfiladed  by  heavy  artillery  on  the 
heights  of  Angres.  In  the  Labyrinth,  however, 
steady  progress  was  made  by  patient  tactics,  for  sev- 
eral hundred  yards. 

South  of  Arras  other  successes  were  planned  and 
directed  by  General  Petain.  Colonel  of  the  Thirty- 
third  Infantry,  then  a  brigadier  under  Maud  'huy,  he 
was  promoted  Joffre-fashion,  for  his  ability,  to  a 

207 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

corps  commander  and  finally  attained  the  supreme 
command.  Petain  is  of  the  infantry,  a  superb  ath- 
lete, cool  in  danger  and  tested  as  a  leader  of  men 
in  battles  where  he  went  ahead  of  his  men  and 
personally  directed  the  fighting.  De  Castelnau  now 
directed  all  operations  from  Noyon  to  Verdun,  and 
Petain  took  over  his  army. 

He  took  a  mixed  force  from  Amiens  and  struck  a 
surprise  blow  south  of  Arras  in  June  to  relieve  pres- 
sure. Bretons,  a  battalion  of  Alpines,  and  middle- 
aged  Reservists  from  the  historic  Vendee,  without 
strong  backing  of  artillery,  moved  unseen  into  the 
outer  trenches  between  Serre  and  Hebuterne.  Cov- 
ered by  the  mist  of  dawn  on  June  7,  they  rushed 
the  trenches  held  by  the  Seventeenth  Baden  Infantry 
on  a  crescent-shaped  front  of  a  mile.  The  first  men 
to  get  through  occupied  the  communicating  trenches 
that  supplied  the  salient,  cutting  off  retreat  and  sup- 
port. All  the  defenders  of  the  first  line  were  killed 
or  captured.  In  the  center  the  attacking  battalions 
gained  three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  ground  and  three 
lines  of  main  trenches.  Though  forces  were  rushed 
up  from  the  Albert  sectors,  and  the  Ninety-ninth  In- 
fantry were  sent  south  from  Arras  in  motor  trucks, 
the  French  dug  in  and  joined  the  ends  of  their  new 
front  with  the  original  line.  Petain  had  no  reserves 
to  spare  to  follow  up  the  success,  but  it  drew  big 
enemy  forces  from  the  Arras  front. 

As  the  French  ambulance  service  was  overtaxed, 

208 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

the  wounded  on  the  new  field  would  have  fared  badly 
but  for  the  providential  arrival  in  Amiens  of  an 
American  Ambulance  train  under  Richard  Norton. 
For  four  days  and  three  nights  these  splendid  volun- 
teers worked  under  fire  with  little  sleep  or  rest. 
Farther  north  also  various  detachments  from  Paris 
did  splendid  work,  and  any  car  bearing  the  words 
"Ambulance  de  I'Hopital  Americain"  was  cheered 
by  villagers  and  soldiers. 

The  British  right,  which  had  been  steadily  nibbling 
its  way  toward  Lille,  north  of  La  Bassee,  supported 
the  French  attack  above  Arras  by  continued  pres- 
sure. On  May  9  a  drive  was  suddenly  made  against 
the  Bavarian  trenches  on  the  Aubers-Fromelles  sec- 
tor. After  exploding  two  mines,  part  of  the  Fourth 
Corps  attacked.  They  broke  through  on  a  narrow 
front  above  Fromelles,  swept  over  the  reserve 
trenches,  and  fought  and  defeated  the  supports  in 
the  open  ground.  But  this  gap  was  narrow,  and  by 
a  natural  impulse  the  troops  poured  through  and 
rushed  forward,  making  the  fire  of  the  British  bat- 
teries as  they  swept  on  in  open  order.  Before 
forces  could  be  organized  to  enfilade  the  exposed 
ends  of  the  German  trenches  to  widen  and  secure 
the  opening,  a  party  of  Bavarian  pioneers  threw  up 
a  barricade  of  sand  bags  in  the  main  trench,  and  ma- 
chine guns  were  installed  which  swept  the  flanks  of 
the  gap.  In  vain  the  British  tried  to  silence  the  fire 
with  hand  grenades.  In  the  confusion  fresh  Ger- 

209 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

man  reinforcements  with  sand  bags  and  machine 
guns  were  pushed  along  the  other  trenches  and  the 
breach  through  which  the  British  had  poured  was 
swept  on  both  sides  with  rapid  fire.  The  gap  was 
soon  closed  up  solidly  with  two  British  battalions 
well  inside,  cheering  as  they  drove  the  Germans  from 
a  farm.  Expecting  reinforcements  to  follow,  some 
companies  started  up  a  road  to  Lille. 

German  guns  now  opened  on  them  at  close  range. 
Their  advance  still  curtailed  their  own  artillery,  but 
they  secured  what  cover  they  could  and  fought 
against  superior  numbers  until  their  ammunition 
gave  out.  Then  they  made  a  desperate  effort  to 
fight  their  way  back  with  the  bayonet,  but  found 
that  they  were  relentlessly  surrounded  and  that  no 
quarter  would  be  given.  A  terrible  scene  was  en- 
acted as  the  trapped  men  turned  at  bay  and  fought 
desperately. 

After  dark  the  Bavarians  used  their  knives,  in  a 
hideous  frenzy.  Wounded  had  their  throats  slit. 
A  group  stalked  scattered  survivors  hiding  in  shell 
holes  or  other  cover.  Their  leader  went  in  advance, 
asking  in  a  low  voice,  in  perfect  English,  "Is  that 
you,  Alfred?  Where  are  you?"  When  men  re- 
plied, the  Bavarians  crept  among  the  unsuspecting 
British  and  used  their  knives.  "Is  that  you,  Al- 
fred?" became  a  joke  on  the  German  front  in  Artois, 
and  by  that  ruse  scores  of  soldiers  were  murdered. 
Some  who  surrendered  had  their  brains  dashed  out 

210 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

with  rifle  butts.  When  the  ferocity  died  down,  out  of 
1,800  men  140  were  picked  up  next  day,  nearly  all 
seriously  wounded.  Bead  German  diaries  after- 
ward captured,  describing  this  slaughter.  Add 
the  evidence  of  the  official  report  which  boasts  of 
burying  the  bodies  of  143  English  officers  and  over 
1,500  men,  of  capturing  140  prisoners  and  7  ma- 
9hine  guns.  The  Crown  Prince  of  Bavaria  knows 
the  details  of  this  shambles.  He  knows  also  that 
some  of  his  surgeons  protested. 

Day  after  day  the  British  continued  the  pressure 
by  holding  attacks  along  their  front,  and,  as  re- 
enforcements  had  arrived,  they  took  over  the  posi- 
tions held  by  the  French  in  Belgium,  toward  Boes- 
inghe,  and  extended  their  right  from  Vermelles  south 
below  Grenay,  enabling  the  Tenth  French  Army  un- 
der d'Urbal  to  concentrate  its  forces  for  the  im- 
portant Souchez  front. 

July,  August  and  September  passed  with  steady 
preparation  for  a  great  offensive  which  took  place 
at  daybreak  September  25,  aiming  to  break  the  lines 
below  Lille  and  on  the  Champagne  front  simultane- 
ously. For  weeks  ammunition  was  gathered  at  all 
depots,  and  early  in  September  a  steady  stream 
poured  up  to  the  British  and  French  batteries  on  all 
fronts  in  general,  and  between  Rheims  and  the  Ar- 
gonne  and  between  Arras  and  Belgium  in  particular. 
A  bombardment  then  gave  the  German  lines  no  re- 
spite for  twenty-four  days  and  nights.  Six  months 

211 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

before,  the  Germans  were  able  to  expend  ten  heavy 
shells  to  one  round  of  a  British  field  gun.  But  in 
this  phase  adequate  explosive  shells  poured  from 
the  Allies  without  a  halt. 

On  September  24  Vice-Admiral  Bacon  with  a 
squadron  made  a  feint  on  the  Belgian  coast.  Eight 
across  Belgium  and  France  threats  of  attack  were 
made,  which  kept  German  forces  busy  all  night,  and 
early  next  day.  After  dark  thousands  of  troops 
moved  to  the  front  between  La  Bassee  to  the  Laby- 
rinth, and  across  Champagne — ready  for  assault 
on  both  sides  of  the  great  rectangle  pushed  into 
France,  where  success  would  jeopardize  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  entire  front. 

In  North  France  all  watches  were  synchronized 
by  field  telephone  at  1 :00  A.  M.  on  the  25th,  while 
battery  commanders  reviewed  their  instructions, 
and  the  supply  of  shells  was  checked  up.  At  4:25 
a  great  cannonade  roared  on  the  selected  fronts, 
rousing  people  and  shaking  windows  forty  miles 
away.  For  half  an  hour  the  appalling  deluge  of 
shells  searched  out  every  yard  of  ground  within 
range. 

Above  Arras,  the  British,  between  La  Bassee  and 
Grenay,  and  the  French  from  Carency  and  the 
Labyrinth,  made  simultaneous  drives  aiming  above 
and  below  Lens  junction.  From  the  British  lines  a 
new  and  merciful  stupefying  gas  was  tried,  more 
merciful  but  effective  in  reprisal,  which  missed  the 

212 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

main  part  of  the  German  line  and  drifted  back. 

At  6 :30  A.  M.,  with  two  corps,  the  British  stormed 
the  opposing  trenches  on  a  five-mile  front,  north 
and  south  of  Vermelles.  The  crumbling  advanced 
lines  were  all  rapidly  taken.  But  forces  operating 
on  the  left  (Ninth  Division)  were  checked  by  two 
strong  redoubts.  In  the  center,  also,  fortified  slag 
heaps  in  the  coal  district  had  to  be  stormed  by  the 
First  Division.  The  French  on  the  extreme  right 
succeeded  in  breaking  through  only  after  consid- 
erable delay. 

But  on  wide  sections  the  British  swept  over  every 
obstacle,  and  were  soon  a  mile  and  a  half  beyond  the 
serried  first  lines.  Here  they  surprised  and  stormed 
strongholds  on  the  second  line.  Some  units  swept 
a  mile  beyond  this,  ironically  singing  a  free  trans- 
lation of  the  "Hymn  of  Hate,"  ending  with  a 
stentorian  "Whom  do  we  hate?  England?"  .But 
after  these  successes  there  arose  the  complicated 
tactical  situations  which  seriously  reduce  the 
chances  for  a  decisive  victory  under  modern  condi- 
tions. 

Adequate  forces  must  build  defensive  walls  on 
both  sides  of  the  new  path  of  advance,  to  enable  re- 
serves and  artillery,  with  flanks  and  communications 
secure,  to  push  forward  the  invasion  of  the  occupied 
territory,  and  carry  on  effective  warfare  inside  the 
lines.  Speed  is  essential  to  snatch  a  victory  before 
the  enemy  can  gather  reinforcements.  At  the  gap 

213 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

forces  must  also  enfilade  and  roll  up  the  first  trenches 
from  the  broken  ends  to  widen  effectively  the  en- 
trance. 

The  Seventh  Division  had  soon  advanced  two 
miles,  capturing  Hulluch  and  scores  of  mining  pits 
and  slag  heaps  defended  by  a  surprised  and  tempo- 
rarily demoralized  enemy.  But  its  flanks  were  ex- 
posed. 

South  of  Vermelles  when  the  First  Division  was 
checked,  the  Fifteenth  Division  broke  through  below 
it,  stormed  strong  positions  before  Grenay,  and  went 
cheering  into  Loos,  where  severe  fighting  took  place 
in  the  streets  and  houses.  Several  companies  went 
on  a  mile  beyond,  capturing  Hill  70.  The  Forty- 
seventh  Division  (London  Volunteers)  on  the  far 
right  also  broke  through,  and  built  up  a  protective 
barrier  from  Grenay  through  Loos,  where  the  ad- 
vanced brigade  stormed  and  captured  the  cemetery 
held  by  machine-gun  detachments.  But  as  the 
French  attack  farther  south  was  developing  slowly, 
the  path  of  the  British  advance  was  soon  being  as- 
sailed on  that  flank. 

The  first  attack  had  succeeded  so  rapidly  that  a 
vital  victory,  with  the  strategic  prize  of  Lens  itself, 
was  within  sight.  But  the  first  phase  was  too  quick 
for  the  development  of  the  second.  Earlier  rain, 
and  ground  cut  up  by  trenches  and  shells,  made  ar- 
tillery advance  difficult ;  time  was  consumed  in  check- 
ing opposition  on  the  flanks  and  center  and  heavy 

214 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

shelling  from  the  north  caused  delay  on  the  com- 
munications. At  9 :30  troops,  scattered  and  victori- 
ous on  the  advanced  front,  were  eagerly  waiting  for 
orders  and  reinforcements  to  push  on  again  against 
the  reserve  positions  and  capture  the  city.  Men 
sat  and  smoked  in  the  open,  and  Tommy  Atkins 
fired  at  the  heavy  batteries  unsupported  on  the  hills, 
rounded  up  fugitives,  and  prayed  for  the  guns  and 
men  necessary  to  push  on  to  Lens  while  the  chance 
was  his.  Some  companies  reached  and  for  a  time 
held  part  of  its  suburb,  the  Cite  St.  Auguste,  where 
they  chased  and  overturned  trucks  loaded  with  bombs 
for  Hulluch,  and  encountered  little  opposition  until 
attacked  and  practically  exterminated  by  armored 
cars  as  they  waited  for  reenf  orcements. 

When  effective  support  reached  the  new  front, 
German  troops  and  artillery  were  pouring  through 
Lens,  and  motor  lorries  from  Lille  brought  down  ma- 
chine guns  and  men.  The  British  could  go  no 
farther  and  were  forced  to  consolidate  their  gains. 
By  night  furious  counter  attacks  were  made  on  all 
sides  of  the  rectangular  salient  which  had  broken 
the  first  and  second  German  line  and  reached  part 
of  the  third  system  of  defenses. 

The  inhabitants  of  Loos  were  free  after  a  year 
of  German  occupation.  But  sharpshooters  still 
lurked  in  many  attics  and  picked  off  the  officers 
undetected.  Emilienne  Moreau,  a  young  school 
teacher,  attacked  by  a  party  that  was  shooting  at  the 

215  * 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

British  wounded  from  her  twice  looted  home,  seized 
a  revolver  and  killed  three  Germans.  She  has  been 
decorated  by  both  the  French  and  British. 

The  French  operations  on  the  right  met  with  a 
strenuous  resistance  from  the  outset.  Mines  were 
exploded  before  Souchez  and  at  certain  sections  the 
French  broke  through  and  captured  the  first 
trenches.  But  artillery  on  the  heights  of  Angres  en- 
filaded the  advance  and  for  some  hours  the  French 
were  pinned  to  the  first  line.  Three  weeks'  pound- 
ing had  not  affected  communicating  tunnels,  and  a 
single  machine  gun  detachment  inflicted  serious 
losses  on  the  entire  army,  especially  the  divisions 
encompassing  the  Souchez  wood,  which  were  soon 
facing  strong  reinforcements.  The  cemetery  was 
captured  by  direct  assault. 

In  perfect  order  the  advanced  battalions  were 
withdrawn  to  enable  the  French  batteries  to  sweep 
the  woods.  On  the  26th  the  French  advanced  again, 
storming  fortins  with  low  revolving  turrets,  cleverly 
screened  on  the  ridges.  A  terrible  hand-to-hand 
struggle  took  place  in  the  Fond  de  Buval.  When 
the  French  had  gained  the  ascendancy  and  were  re- 
moving wounded  and  prisoners,  German  machine 
guns  swept  the  ravine,  killing  friend  and  foe  indis- 
criminately in  the  desperate  effort  to  stem  the  tide. 

The  Prussian  Guards  had  been  rushed  from  Rus- 
sia to  meet  the  threatened  offensive.  Several  com- 
panies held  the  Chateau  of  Carleul  until  it  was  bat- 

216 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

tered  to  pieces,  and  gradually  the  crumbled  stones 
that  marked  the  remains  of  Souchez  were  invested 
on  three  sides  and  taken,  while  in  the  woods  1,500 
prisoners  were  rounded  up.  On  the  third  day  the 
Zouaves  stormed  trenches  on  the  Arras-Lille  road, 
which  was  finally  uncovered,  while  another  desperate 
assault  captured  the  ridge  of  Ecurie.  In  the  Laby- 
rinth also  the  French  gained  the  last  mass  of  tangled 
defenses  and  were  able  to  straighten  their  new  front 
and  hold  it  in  the  face  of  furious  counter  attacks. 

Thus  the  Artois  offensive  had  reached  its  limit 
with  Lens  menaced  and  with  Vimy  and  other  strong- 
holds yet  to  be  stormed  before  the  barrier  to  the 
Douai  plains  was  broken.  Attacks  were  delivered 
everywhere  by  the  Germans  with  little  success  except 
on  Hill  70,  where  the  defenders  were  isolated  by 
artillery  fire,  swept  by  machine  guns,  and  expelled. 
On  the  27th  the  British  Guard  Division  was  sent  up. 
They  retook  Hill  70  and  occupied  the  crest,  though 
they  were  unable  to  reach  redoubts  on  the  eastern 
spur. 

In  the  Loos  operations  the  British  lost  2,378  offi- 
cers and  57,288  men.  Major  General  Capper,  who 
led  the  Seventh  Division  in  its  fight  across  Belgium, 
General  Thesiger  and  General  Wing  were  killed. 
And  3,000  German  prisoners,  5  batteries  and  40  ma- 
chine guns  were  captured.  Wireless  from  Berlin 
stated  that  the  total  German  losses  "at  Loos"  were 
less  than  700,  which  evidently  referred  to  the  bat- 

217 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

talion  holding  the  town  itself,  a  concrete  example  of 
their  official  juggling.  The  French  losses  on  the 
right  were  also  heavy. 

During  this  thrust  for  Lens,  which  had  fallen  short 
of  sanguine  expectations,  a  greater  assault  was 
made  by  De  Castelnau  with  the  augmented  Fourth 
and  Second  Armies  on  the  formidable  tangle  of  field 
fortifications  traced  across  the  Champagne  chalk 
hills  between  Auberive  and  Ville  sur  Tourbe  on  the 
front  controlled  by  General  von  Einem. 

While  the  guns  had  thundered  for  three  weeks  on 
the  entire  front,  special  preparations  were  carried 
out  in  Champagne,  while  every  available  aeroplane 
was  used  to  keep  away  inquisitive  fliers.  An  enor- 
mous concentration  of  men  and  supplies  was  effected 
at  Chalons.  Miles  of  screened  artillery  positions 
were  created ;  saps  were  pushed  up  by  night  toward 
vulnerable  points,  and  advance  trenches  excavated 
from  which  the  attack  could  be  launched  and  the  re- 
serves deployed  for  support.  The  German  staff  was 
partly  misled  by  the  British  pressure  in  Flanders 
and  the  threatened  front  was  not  strongly  re- 
enforced. 

By  night  new  batteries  were  concentrated  on  every 
sector  until  September  22,  when  an  unprecedented 
fire  was  opened  on  the  German  lines,  a  fury  which 
shattered  organized  defense.  Fresh  enemy  troops 
and  guns  were  then  sent  down  from  Craonne,  but 
they  were  gathered  north  of  Chalons,  where  the 

218 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

French  reserves  were  waiting  to  march  eastward  for 
the  final  hour. 

At  sunrise  on  the  25th,  the  guns  ceased  suddenly. 
Every  range  was  checked,  every  watch  set  by  wire- 
less. Across  Champagne  every  branch  of  the  serv- 
ice had  moved  into  place — five  separate  battering 
rams  to  push  forward  simultaneously,  each  in- 
structed in  detail  regarding  the  work  to  be  done  in 
their  immediate  sectors.  A  signal  sent  every  gun 
crashing  against  the  main  points  of  attack  for  three 
hours,  while  the  infantry  waited. 

At  eight  o'clock  von  Fleck,  commanding  the  cen- 
ter, grew  alarmed  at  the  fury  and  made  a  personal 
report  to  the  Hauptquartier — the  great  war  brain 
near  Sedan  which  ruled  every  part  of  the  concentric 
front.  The  great  General  Staff  had  also  heard  that 
the  British  were  attacking  in  the  north ;  the  Crown 
Prince  reported  that  activity  across  the  Argonne 
was  holding  all  units  of  the  Fifth  Army;  pressure, 
too,  was  reported  from  the  Somme,  and  on  the  Aisne. 
Von  Fleck  must  await  developments.  The  "  Armee- 
gruppe"  on  his  left  was  also  stunned  by  the  inten- 
sity of  the  French  artillery.  But  the  Germans  were 
able  to  put  in  five  thousand  men  per  mile-section 
of  their  serried  defenses.  They  could  await  attack 
with  complacency. 

At  8 :30  A.  M.,  a  cloud  of  French  aeroplanes  swept 
over  every  section  of  the  Champagne,  bombing  light 
railroad  junctions,  stores,  and  depots. 

219 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

At  9:00,  the  order  flashed  along  the  French  line, 
' '  Prepare  yourselves ! ' ' 

At  9:10,  "Standby!" 

At  9:15,  "En  want!" 

The  commands  were  inaudible  in  the  din  of  bat- 
tle, but  the  relief  from  the  tension  made  the  reply 
of  the  eager  divisions  ring  above  the  Vulcan  thun- 
der: "Vaincre  ou  mourir!  En  avant!"  as  five 
steel-blue  tidal  waves  of  twenty  living  miles  surged 
forward  against  the  first  lines  of  the  Germans. 

The  chief  object  of  the  offensive  was  to  reach  the 
Bezancourt-Challerange  railroad,  the  vital  artery  of 
the  German  front  between  the  Aisne  and  the  Ar- 
gonne,  linked  by  miles  of  light  railroads  which  fed 
the  line.  The  chief  objective  was  the  Somme-Py 
sector.  Joffre  had  learned  the  bitter  cost  of  nar- 
row wedges,  and  he  had  gathered  his  men,  guns,  and 
shells  for  attack  on  a  wide  front  so  that  at  the  base 
the  breach  should  be  broad,  to  keep  pressure  off  the 
immediate  flanks  if  the  attack  broke  completely 
through.  Masses  of  reserves  and  cavalry  were 
ready  to  force  their  way  in  the  gaps  and  if  possible 
carry  the  war  beyond  the  trench  lines  to  open 
country. 

Briefly,  the  German  front  ran  slightly  south  from 
near  Rheims  along  the  ugly  hog's-back  of  Moronvil- 
liers  eastward  to  Auberive,  across  to  Ville  sur 
Tourbe.  The  chalk  hills  of  the  Champagne  Pouil- 
leuse  are  ideal  for  defense.  For  a  year  the  Germans 

220 


221 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

had  labored  to  make  the  front  impregnable.  Seven 
rows  of  linked  trenches,  like  a  huge  gridiron,  pro- 
tected by  masses  of  barbed  wire,  faced  the  French. 
Behind  this  maze,  miles  of  communicating  trenches 
linked  every  fortified  foothill.  Woods,  shot  down 
in  earlier  battles,  formed  effective  abattis  tangled 
throughout  with  barbed  wire.  Fire  trenches  ran  at 
every  commanding  angle;  redoubts  with  machine 
guns  dominated  every  approach.  A  backbone  of 
formidable  ridges  gave  a  perfect  second  line  of  de- 
fense parallel  to  the  vital  railroad,  and  afforded  a 
series  of  positions  from  which  artillery  could  dom- 
inate every  foot  of  the  ground  below.  These  im- 
pressive defenses  were  garrisoned  by  over  120,000 
men  when  the  attack  started. 

On  the  extreme  left,  the  reenforced  sector  of  the 
defense,  the  French  rushed  and  captured  the  strong, 
advanced  trenches  intact,  but  were  checked  by  un- 
broken wire  on  ground  which  in  peace  had  fringed 
their  great  maneuvers.  They  were  soon  pinned 
down  by  machine  guns,  and  with  their  own  first 
trenches  ranged  to  a  foot,  German  artillery  on  the 
Moronvilliers  plateau  pounded  the  captured  posi- 
tions, inflicting  heavy  loss  on  the  French  and  their 
own  men  who  had  been  captured.  Here  the  attack- 
ers at  first  could  only  hold  on  grimly  while  the  as- 
sault developed  on  their  right. 

Before  Souain,  a  trident  of  clever  saps  in  the 
salient  enabled  the  assault  to  be  delivered  rapidly 

222 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

at  three  vulnerable  points  between  the  ridges,  each 
of  which  cleanly  pierced  the  German  front.  The 
leading  units  made  amazing  progress,  the  supports 
following  practically  in  column.  In  an  hour,  sev- 
eral ugly  positions  had  been  cut  out  on  the  Somme- 
Py  road  by  forces  which  fought  their  way  between, 
joined  hands  in  the  rear,  and  took  the  fortifications 
intact  in  reverse.  By  ten  o'clock  one  division  was 
nearly  three  miles  in  the  German  front  and  had  ap- 
proached the  last  line  defending  the  railroad.  On 
the  right  of  the  entrance,  however,  the  series  of  nat- 
ural bastions  defied  the  bombardments  and  assaults 
for  three  days  and  took  heavy  toll  of  supports  as 
they  pushed  up  the  salient. 

West  of  this  sector,  the  forces  attacking  Perthes 
smashed  through  without  a  pause.  The  French  bat- 
teries here  were  able  to  cover  their  infantry  advance 
fully;  the  German  batteries  were  silenced  and  the 
resistance  of  a  triangular  work  full  of  machine  guns 
was  so  masked  that  the  troops  crossed  the  trenches 
on  either  side  and  fought  their  way  behind  it,  taking 
it  with  all  its  defenders.  Supports  then  poured  up 
through  the  gap,  moved  east  behind  other  fortifica- 
tions, and  with  a  cheer  flanked  and  captured  three 
batteries  and  the  camp  of  the  German  reserves  wait- 
ing in  dugouts  in  the  Bricot  woods.  The  French 
artillery  limbered  up  and  followed  the  infantry  into 
practically  open  country  behind  the  outer  German 
positions. 

223 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Between  this  gap  and  the  breach  forced  in  above 
Souain,  however,  the  enemy  maintained  a  rectangu- 
lar series  of  defenses,  and  this  flanking  fire  had  to 
be  overcome  before  the  splendid  advances  could  con- 
tinue to  push  north  to  the  railroad,  the  approach  to 
which  was  then  barred  only  by  the  strong  trench 
line  linking  the  Buttes  de  Souain  and  Tahure.  The 
French  staff  had  done  its  work  perfectly,  and  in 
the  center  a  stupendous  victory  was  in  sight  when 
night  fell.  Considering  the  extent  of  the  gains,  the 
losses  of  the  Colonial  forces  and  the  Eleventh  Corps 
engaged  here  were  comparatively  light.  General 
Marchand  of  Fashoda  fame,  who  led  the  Colonial 
Division  in  person,  was  shot  down  early  in  the  ad- 
vance, but  before  he  was  carried  from  the  field  vital 
successes  had  been  gained  and  a  decisive  victory 
seemed  in  sight. 

In  the  adjoining  sectors  of  Mesnil  and  Beausejour 
farm  the  same  thing  had  occurred.  From  the  height 
of  Le  Mesnil  the  attack  had  swept  over  the  famous 
and  difficult  Ravin  des  Cuisiners  victoriously,  only 
to  be  enfiladed  and  checked  by  a  mass  of  machine 
guns  implanted  in  a  salient  of  small  hills  which  the 
artillery  had  been  unable  to  silence.  Yet  in  the 
blood-stained  and  more  formidable  area  of  Beause- 
jour the  first  waves  of  attack  smashed  through  the 
dreaded  Le  Bastion,  gained  the  communication 
trenches,  and  swept  on  to  surprise  and  capture  the 
German  batteries  on  the  Maisons  de  Champagne. 

224 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

On  the  extreme  right,  two  battalions  led  the  at- 
tack in  a  dash  through  the  mist  from  Hill  180  before 
Massiges  across  700  yards  of  fury,  and  gained  the 
boyeaux  leading  to  the  height.  After  rough  and 
tumble  fighting  with  grenade  and  bayonet,  the  sur- 
vivors reached  the  crest,  where  the  flag  was  planted 
by  a  St.  Cyr  cadet  celebrating  his  baptism  of  fire, 
with  only  a  colonel  and  three  junior  officers  left  to 
rally  the  shattered  command  and  hold  out  while 
reserves  bombed  their  way  along  communicating 
trenches  in  this  maze  of  defenses.  The  reserves  and 
artillery  on  the  flank  held  up  reinforcements  tardily 
sent  over  by  the  Crown  Prince,  which  marched  with 
no  apparent  reason  down  the  Cernay-Ville  sur 
Tourbe  road. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  irregularity  of  the  battle 
front  soon  made  a  French  curtain  fire  difficult  to 
maintain.  At  three  points  the  attack  had  smashed 
through  the  main  German  positions.  Between  them, 
the  enemy  held  two  definite  sections  firmly,  menac- 
ing the  flanks  of  the  advance.  A  few  more  hours 
of  daylight  or  fine  weather  would  have  altered  his- 
tory. Above  Beausejour  the  artillery  and  reserves 
moved  forward  across  practically  open  country,  pre- 
pared to  force  the  fighting  across  the  final  heights, 
only  a  mile  from  the  railroad.  Wireless  messages 
from  Laon,  too  urgent  for  coding,  proved  how  se- 
verely the  Germans  were  menaced.  French  guns 
were  smashing  the  light  railroad  from  Ripont,  and 

225 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

three  German  batteries  thrown  forward  at  this 
point  were  captured  before  the  gunners  could 
unlimber. 

Keenforcements  rushed  by  motor  lorry  from 
Vouzies  advanced  down  the  strip  below  Tahure  and 
moved  through  the  disarranged  shell  curtain  to  men- 
ace the  rear  of  one  advanced  brigade,  and  a  fresh 
battery  also  worked  around  the  flank  and  came  into 
action  directly  behind  the  French.  Light  cavalry, 
champing  impatiently  in  reserve,  instantly  rode  out. 
Guns  greeted  them  from  the  flank,  and  men  and 
horses  fell  writhing  among  the  astonished  reserves 
holding  captured  trenches,  but  two  squadrons  gal- 
loped across  country  and  charged  the  new  arrivals, 
while  even  the  desperately  wounded  cheered.  The 
troopers  then  dismounted  and  finished  the  fight  on 
foot,  helping  to  capture  the  new  battery  and  round- 
ing up  a  battalion  as  it  was  deploying.  At  the 
Navarin  farm  on  the  Souain  road  west  of  Tahure 
and  within  range  of  the  railroad  below  Eipont,  the 
French  were  firmly  established  in  the  afternoon. 
Heavy  artillery  could  have  pierced  the  lines  on  the 
final  ridge  while  the  defenders  were  disorganized. 
But  rain  followed  the  bombardment  and  made  ar- 
tillery progress  difficult,  and  darkness  checked 
further  operations.  All  night  the  French  rescued 
their  own  and  thousands  of  enemy  wounded,  mag- 
nificently aided  by  American  Ambulance  units.  But 
the  rain  increased  and  the  work  of  bringing  up 

226 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

the  heavier  batteries  was  retarded.  At  every  point 
now  the  Germans  were  strongly  reenforced. 

At  daybreak  the  struggle  was  resumed  to  expel 
the  enemy  from  the  salients  maintained  in  the  re- 
gained territory.  A  dozen  isolated  battles  raged 
for  three  days.  Sapping,  mining,  direct  assault,  and 
isolation  broke  down  most  of  the  resistance.  Per- 
haps the  most  picturesque  of  these  battles  was 
fought  by  the  Foreign  Legion.  Depleted  by  heavy 
losses  in  the  Argonne  and  Artois  and  the  transfer 
of  the  British  and  Garibaldian  units  to  their  own 
armies,  the  rest  were  consolidated  in  two  regiments 
as  part  of  the  army  of  Morocco.  While  the  Colonial 
forces  were  winning  much  ground,  the  Legion 
formed  the  reserve  and  acted  on  the  right  flank  of 
the  Souain  advance,  where  the  Germans  firmly  main- 
tained their  strongholds.  For  two  days  the  artillery 
failed  to  affect  these  earthworks  shaped  like  a  horse- 
shoe on  curving  foothills  on  the  Bois  Sabot. 

Colonel  Cot  volunteered  to  take  the  position  by 
direct  assault  on  the  afternoon  of  the  28th.  The 
moment  the  Legion  broke  cover,  the  German  artil- 
lery fire  opened.  The  first  battalion  charged 
straight  for  the  center  of  the  curve,  but  the  leading 
companies  were  checked  by  wire  and  annihilated  as 
they  tore  their  way  through.  The  succeeding  waves, 
however,  followed,  the  American  contingent  being 
rallied  by  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  which  changed 
hands  five  times  during  the  advance.  The  surviv- 

227 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ors  of  the  leading  battalion  penetrated  the  curve 
of  the  horseshoe  and  gained  shelter  in  the  trous  des 
marmites  dug  by  the  French  bombardment,  while 
the  other  battalions  worked  their  way  around  the 
flanks  to  the  communication  trenches. 

At  a  signal,  the  Legion  made  the  final  rush  with 
the  bayonet  and  was  victorious  after  a  terrific  com- 
bat with  the  garrison,  which  resisted  to  the  end. 
Forty  per  cent,  of  the  Legion  were  killed  or  wounded 
in  the  fight  which  cleared  the  flank  when  every  hour 
was  enabling  the  Germans  to  renew  their  barriers  to 
the  north  and  nullify  the  early  promise  of  the  offen- 
sive. Many  Americans  were  killed  in  the  capture 
of  this  almost  impregnable  position — among  them, 
Lieutenant  Sweeny,  a  West  Pointer;  John  Casey, 
the  artist;  Dugan,  Soubrian,  Scanlon,  Charles, 
Dowd,  Capdeville,  Egan,  Zinn,  and  Nelson.  Among 
the  wounded  were  Dr.  Wheeler,  the  Arctic  explorer ; 
Thoran,  Trinkhead,  Genet,  Pavidka,  and  Musgrave, 
who  received  the  Croix  de  Guerre  for  conspicuous 
gallantry. 

The  sequel  was  interesting.  A  captured  anti- 
aeroplane  gun — now  manned  by  the  Legion — shot 
down  an  inquisitive  aeroplane  hovering  low  for  ob- 
servation, so  the  German  artillery  innocently  con- 
tinued their  curtain  fire  before  the  lost  fortification, 
while  the  French  forces  safely  within  it  swarmed  un- 
seen and  unshelled  through  the  woods  in  the  rear. 
They  captured  all  lines  of  communication  and 

228 


THE  BATTLES  OF  1915 

cleared  the  region  right  to  the  main  artillery  posi- 
tion on  the  reverse  of  the  final  heights.  Inciden- 
tally, the  Legionnaires  captured  gas  apparatus 
stamped  1908. 

For  a  decisive  success,  all  advantages  must  be 
promptly  followed  up.  With  a  large  section  of 
ground  above  Souain  solidly  French,  an  assault  be- 
fore Vedegrange  on  September  28  cleared  another 
solid  section  of  the  second  German  line,  capturing 
forty-five  guns  and  the  survivors  of  five  battalions. 
On  the  main  sectors  of  the  assault,  the  French  front 
was  now  consolidated  before  the  ridge  parallel  to  the 
railroad.  But  while  the  French  slaved  with  their 
bogged  artillery,  miles  of  new  trenches  and  thou- 
sands of  reinforcements  had  strengthened  the  final 
German  line,  and  close  to  their  objectives  the  French 
advance  was  held  up.  The  blow  had  captured  41 
square  miles  of  territory,  316  officers,  17,055  un- 
wounded  men,  and  61  guns,  but  it  just  failed  to 
break  through. 

For  a  month  the  French  struggled  on  and  finally 
captured  the  Tahure  heights.  General  Gouraud 
had  been  appointed  to  command  the  special  army 
of  the  Champagne  to  continue  the  operations.  Two 
German  army  corps  were  brought  from  Russia, 
and  as  winter  became  severe,  the  French  offensive 
died  down  and  again  the  front  remained  unbroken. 

On  every  sector  through  the  winter  Belgians,  Brit- 
ish and  French  had  held  their  exposed  lines.  Day 

229 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

by  day  the  signal  flashed,  E.  A.  S.  (rien  a  signaler), 
nothing  to  report.  But  men  in  thousands  were  being 
blown  to  pieces  in  the  freezing,  water-logged 
trenches,  enduring,  facing  death  in  a  hundred  ways, 
but  grimly  holding  on.  The  record  of  trench  raids, 
local  attacks  by  both  sides,  and  bitter  fighting  on 
many  sectors  during  1915  would  fill  many  volumes. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 

THE  persistent  and  heavy  casualty  lists  from  th« 
army  of  the  Crown  Prince,  during  his  abortive  at- 
tempts to  isolate  Verdun,  were  causing  much  dis- 
satisfaction in  Germany.  "What  had  he  accom- 
plished?" The  pivot  of  the  war  frontier — but  no 
longer  the  most  vital  postern  between  France  and 
Germany — was  a  difficult  point  to  select  for  an  offen- 
sive. But  a  stupendous  blow  at  Verdun  would 
divert  the  maximum  of  French  strength  from  any 
sectors  likely  to  be  chosen  by  the  Allies  for  a  1916 
offensive.  The  moral  effect  of  success  would  be 
great,  and  though  the  strategic  value  was  minimized 
by  miles  of  precautionary  field  works  created  by  the 
French  to  bar  the  way  across  west  Champagne,  the 
reduction  of  France's  most  important  fortress 
would  add  luster  to  the  Hohenzollern  halo. 

During  January,  1916,  continuous  fog  and  sleet 
spoiled  air  reconnoissance,  but  reports  poured  in  to 
prove  increased  activity  in  Belgium,  while  the  major 
preparations  of  the  Fifth  Army  before  Verdun  were 
completed  before  the  danger  was  discovered  by  the 
French  staff.  Two  weeks  before  the  blow  fell  iome 

231 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

portents  were  heeded,  but  the  decisive  strength 
behind  the  effort  was  not  anticipated.  A  cloud  of 
new  war  planes  prevented  the  French  fliers  from 
making  a  careful  survey  during  the  few  opportuni- 
ties for  visibility,  but  accurate  reports  of  massed 
batteries  led  the  French  Staff  to  improve  the  roads 
from  the  south. 

Verdun,  the  picturesque  citadel  city  of  the  Meuse, 
gave  its  name  to  the  great  circle  of  modern  forts 
and  outer  perimeter  of  ultra-modern  field  works, 
which  had  hitherto  frowned  down  ideas  for  direct 
attack.  Its  people  were  still  asleep,  its  garrison 
watchful,  when  a  sharp  staccato  of  air-craft  guns 
was  drowned  by  a  rolling  cataclysm  of  sound  that 
sent  people  flocking  to  the  street.  The  staff  knew 
the  meaning  of  the  convulsion.  Their  cars  dashed 
to  the  main  circle  of  fortified  hills  where  the  pano- 
rama showed  a  curving  line  of  eruption  as  of  minia- 
ture volcanoes  marking  the  confines  of  the  outer 
front. 

A  great  air  attack  was  delivered  at  dawn,  in  which 
every  type  of  air  craft,  from  Zeppelins  to  Fokkers, 
bombed  French  bases  and  communications,  damaged 
bridges,  and  destroyed  observation  balloons  and 
aeroplanes.  It  was  the  prelude  for  the  concentrated 
roar  of  nearly  two  thousand  German  guns  which 
opened  fire  from  the  Argonne  to  St.  Mihiel.  Long- 
range  shells  played  havoc  with  the  main  communi- 
cations, but  the  great  fury  of  the  bombardment  raged 

232 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 

from  batteries  massed  on  a  complete  arc  of  twenty- 
five  miles — a  titanic  maw  of  artillery,  stretching 
from  Melancourt  eastward  across  the  Meuse  to 
Etain,  its  wide-open  jaws  ready  to  close  upon  the 
Verdun  perimeter.  In  perfect  alignment  the  grip 
tightened  on  the  outer  positions.  Fraction  by  frac- 
tion the  range  was  increased  as  the  great  curve  of 
destruction  contracted  slowly  on  its  prey;  yard  by 
yard  the  ground  was  systematically  pulverized  as 
the  cascade  of  shells  closed  in. 

The  French  artillery  had  to  be  distributed  on  a 
wide  front,  against  any  sector  of  which  the  German 
reserves  could  be  hurled  on  the  crumbling  defenses 
too  swiftly  to  permit  effective  regrouping  of  bat- 
teries. Toward  evening,  the  wide-flung  outworks  of 
Verdun's  first  lines  and  their  defenders  were  prac- 
tically obliterated,  and  just  before  dark  the  expected 
attack  burst  on  the  northern  sectors  between  the 
Meuse  and  Ornes.  The  German  masses  advanced 
slowly  to  occupy  and  reconstruct  the  devastated 
trenches,  marching  behind  the  wall  of  shells  which 
now  moved  within  the  outer  lines.  But  some  dazed 
and  half-stunned  defenders  still  clung  desperately 
to  the  churned  debris.  A  few  machine  guns  had  sur- 
vived the  fury  of  the  shelling,  and  an  incredibly  de- 
liberate fire  checked  the  complacency  of  the  German 
advance  and  reaped  some  toll  before  the  enemy  fixed 
bayonets  and  ended  the  amazing  defense  of  men 
who  knew  that  they  could  not  be  reenf orced  through 

233 


•UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  shell  curtain  but  who  refused  to  surrender. 

At  Hertebois,  the  pitiful  remnants  of  a  regiment 
were  rallied.  Dragging  out  machine  guns  that  had 
been  hidden  in  a  shattered  wood,  they  fought  back 
so  desperately  that  the  German  attack  broke,  re- 
formed twice,  again  to  be  repulsed,  and  actually  with- 
drew after  dark  to  enable  their  guns  to  recommence. 
At  the  Bois  des  Caures,  in  the  center,  the  survivors 
of  the  famous  Chasseurs  from  Nancy  resisted  from 
shell  holes  through  the  entire  night,  and  fought  back 
successive  assaults.  Farther  west,  at  Haumont, 
other  decimated  companies,  driven  from  their  first 
trenches,  fought  from  the  concrete  redoubt  and  the 
broken  houses  of  the  village.  At  first  pushed  back 
slowly,  they  were  miraculously  stiffened  by  gunners 
who  crept  on  hands  and  knees  through  the  barrage, 
retrieved  a  third  of  the  silenced  and  partly  buried 
field  guns,  and  brought  them  into  action  at  point- 
blank  range. 

Next  day,  the  crescent  of  German  shells  which 
was  triumphantly  contracting  on  the  main  positions 
was  obliged  to  expand  to  the  outer  works,  thus 
affording  the  main  garrison  further  time  to  reor- 
ganize, while  the  front  line  of  heroes  again  bore  the 
brunt.  These  amazing  forces  were  further  reduced 
during  the  second  day,  but  continued  their  resistance 
until  the  end,  which  approached  in  the  late  after- 
noon. Outnumbered  twenty  to  one,  the  garrison  of 
Haumont  was  gassed,  tortured  by  Flammenwerfer, 

234 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 

and  the  pitiful  remnants  were  finally  bayoneted  amid 
the  ruins  of  the  houses  in  which  they  had  made  their 
Spartan  defense.  Their  annihilation  isolated  Bra- 
bant on  the  river,  and  exposed  the  dank  at  Caures. 
Here  Colonel  Driant,  son-in-law  of  Boulanger  and 
Deputy  for  the  Department,  again  and  again  rallied 
his  men  in  the  final  defense  on  the  front  and  the  left 
flank. 

When  his  command  was  practically  enveloped, 
with  the  last  machine  gun  he  and  a  sergeant  held  a 
narrow  gap  down  which  the  survivors  withdrew,  a 
handful  passing  safely  through  the  barrage.  Erect 
and  dauntless,  the  Colonel  stood  alone,  facing  the 
approaching  horde,  until  pierced  by  the  bayonets  of 
the  enraged  enemy.  A  more  chivalrous  foe  might 
have  spared  a  hero  whose  courage  has  not  been  sur- 
passed in  history. 

At  Hertebois,  on  the  right,  helped  by  a  new  field 
battery,  the  defense  was  maintained  until  annihila- 
tion at  four  o'clock  on  the  23rd.  The  relentless  jaw 
of  shells  now  again  closed  in,  but  the  matchless 
heroes  of  Verdun  had  held  the  line  with  their  bodies 
for  thirty-six  hours — at  Hertebois  for  fifty-seven 
hours — thus  gaining  the  respite  that  saved  the  for- 
tress. 

The  defense  of  pitiful  hundreds  against  a  reen- 
forced  army  had  localized  the  sectors  chosen  for 
the  main  assault,  and  had  thus  enabled  the  surprised 
higher  command  to  organize  for  defense,  and  bring 

235 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

up  shells,  supplies,  and  reserves  before  the  massed 
guns  again  closed  on  the  second  line.  Fresh  troops 
and  guns  were  soon  concentrated  on  the  main  strong 
line  below  the  gap — the  defenses  before  Douaumont 
west  across  the  Cote  du  Poivre — while  reenforce- 
ments  which  reached  the  intermediate  front — Ornes 
to  Samogneux — fought  from  woods  and  shell  holes  to 
delay  the  advance.  Their  left  wing  was  soon  shat- 
tered, then  the  right,  so  that  Ornes  was  lost.  The 
center  was  then  enveloped  and  smashed.  Here  pris- 
oners were  spared  and  some  quarter  was  given. 

The  Germans  were  now  holding  a  black  gap  of 
destruction  stretching  across  from  Brabant  to  Ornes, 
four  miles  deep. 

General  Herr  had  rallied  the  Verdun  garrison 
magnificently,  but  he  had  few  reserves  and  could 
get  no  help  from  General  Roques,  who  was  facing 
heavy  pressure  on  the  east  front,  or  from  General 
Humbert,  heavily  engaged  on  the  famous  line  west 
of  the  Meuse,  which  for  seventeen  months  had  foiled 
the  efforts  of  the  Crown  Prince.  But  he  grouped 
new  guns  to  strengthen  the  position-batteries  on  the 
threatened  sectors  and  this  artillery  pounded  the 
captured  lines  and  inflicted  severe  losses  on  the 
storming  elements  of  the  thirteen  new  divisions 
which  von  Haeseler,  "the  Devil  of  Metz,"  had 
grouped  for  the  general  assault. 

The  St.  Mihiel  salient  had  long  curtailed  direct 
communications  south  from  the  fortress.  The  main 

236 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 

railroad  was  available  only  to  Bar  le  Due,  thirty- 
five  miles  southwest  of  Verdun.  The  line  and  road 
from  St.  Menehould,  approaching  from  the  west, 
were  now  dominated  by  heavy  howitzers.  Road 
transport  was  the  only  solution.  Ten  thousand 
skilled  men  were  placed  on  the  roads  from  Bar  le 
Due.  Requisitioned  by  telephone,  every  available 
motor  lorry  on  the  Champagne  front  was  loaded  with 
men  and  supplies  and  rushed  up  to  the  garrison. 
On  the  second  day,  4,000  motor  vehicles  were  organ- 
ized and  working  on  the  lines  of  communication  in 
defined  relays  at  nine  and  a  half  miles  per  hour, 
from  rail-head  to  the  fortress.  At  fixed  intervals 
gangs  dashed  out,  filled  in  ruts  and  maintained  the 
surface,  and  by  a  clever  system  of  controls  the  pro- 
cession never  halted.  The  national  highway  was  re- 
served for  loaded  cars  going  up ;  the  chemin  vicinal 
linked  minor  roads  for  ambulances  and  empty  lor- 
ries to  get  down.  If  a  car  broke  down,  it  was  ditched 
by  its  successor. 

"With  the  upper  curve  of  the  Brabant-Ornes  peri- 
meter broken  in,  the  French  maintained  a  straight 
line  across  the  gap  four  miles  north  of  the  fortress. 
On  this  narrowed  front  between  Bras  and  Fort  Dou- 
aumont,  the  German  guns  concentrated  their  fury 
until  February  26.  During  one  period  two  thou- 
sands shells  a  minute  were  thrown  on  this  five-mile 
strip.  It  was  a  flaming  inferno. 

At  3 :00  A.  M.  on  the  25th,  when  matters  were  crit- 

237 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ical,  General  De  Castelnau,  chief  of  the  General 
Staff,  arrived.  The  main  line  from  the  river  to 
Douaumont  was  quivering  under  the  deluge.  The 
defenders  were  dazed,  and  massed  attacks  were  be- 
ing repulsed  with  difficulty.  The  hours  of  the 
stronghold  seemed  numbered.  The  city  was  being 
heavily  bombarded,  and  General  Dubois,  the  military 
governor,  had  arranged  for  the  evacuation  of  the 
civil  population.  But  the  place  was  crowded  with 
wounded  who  were  being  ruthlessly  slaughtered. 
The  American  and  British  ambulances  were  aiding 
the  French,  and  working  day  and  night  to  remove 
the  thousands  of  disabled  to  a  safe  zone.  Surgeons, 
brancardiers,  and  drivers  all  paid  a  heavy  toll,  forty 
per  cent  of  some  units,  men  and  cars,  being  de- 
stroyed on  the  roads  as  the  guns  closed  in. 

De  Castelnau  called  up  General  Petain,  who  was 
placed  in  supreme  command  of  the  central  armies. 
He  arrived  during  the  afternoon  with  heavy  reen- 
forcements  to  build  up  the  special  Eleventh  Army 
and  save  the  fortress.  The  defenders  of  the  ad- 
vanced lines  on  the  eastern  outworks  of  the  Woevre 
were  already  being  drawn  back  under  pressure,  to 
give  them  a  chance  to  escape  should  the  fortress  fall. 
The  Samogneux-Ornes  line  was  battered  to  pieces, 
and  the  first  report  to  the  new  commander  announced 
the  loss  that  afternoon  of  the  important  hill  which 
dominated  the  center  of  the  main  line.  It  had  been 
captured  after  seven  desperate  assaults,  and  tons  of 

238 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VEEDUN 

projectiles  were  falling  on  the  ridges  upon  which 
rested  a  section  of  the  main  ring  of  the  Verdun 
forts. 

But  the  famous  Twentieth  Corps  under  Balfour- 
ier,  which  started  off  eighteen  minutes  after  orders 
were  received,  was  now  arriving.  Next  morning, 
two  of  its  regiments  dashed  through  the  German 
barrage,  as  the  Kaiser  joined  his  son  to  watch  a 
triumphant  assault  over  the  debris  where  the  French 
lines  had  once  rested.  The  main  blow  was  delivered 
on  the  Douaumont  ridge,  where  parts  of  the  position 
could  be  swept  from  the  hill  captured  the  previous 
day,  but  the  finest  troops  of  France,  clinging  to  shell 
holes  and  crumbled  redoubts,  hurled  back  the  picked 
storm-masses  which  surged  up  the  smoking  ridges 
in  successive  waves. 

Early  on  the  27th,  the  approaches  to  Douaumont 
were  again  attacked  by  the  Brandenburgers,  but  the 
Morocco  division  stood  like  a  wall  of  steel  against 
the  "Ironclads"  before  the  village.  The  armored 
fortress  crowning  the  height  to  the  southeast  had 
been  dismantled  after  the  lessons  of  Liege,  and  its 
guns  were  distributed  in  field  fortifications  in  its 
rear.  It  was  an  important  observation  post,  and 
rounded  off  the  French  line,  but  it  proved  a  perfect 
target  for  the  heavy  howitzers.  Huge  gas  shells  re- 
duced the  garrison  to  nine  hundred  men,  and  the 
machine-gun  detachments  were  finally  buried  alive 
in  its  crushed  redoubts. 

239 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

All  approaches  to  the  fortress  were  closed  by  shell 
fire,  and  the  isolated  defenders  soon  were  half  suffo- 
cated in  the  underground  chambers  when  the 
Twenty-fourth  Brandenburg  Infantry  crept  up  a 
path  through  a  thicket  on  the  farther  side,  and  en- 
tered by  a  broken  embrasure  near  the  northeast  gate. 
Many  of  the  garrison  were  bayoneted ;  the  rest  sur- 
rendered. 

The  prize,  heralded  around  the  world,  proved  an 
empty  shell.  Except  for  the  disappearing  guns  re- 
tained in  the  turrets,  now  utterly  demolished,  the 
real  artillery  of  Douaumont,  in  reserve  field  works, 
was  soon  cutting  off  all  support  from  its  captors. 
The  fort  became  an  island  in  a  sea  of  French  and 
German  shell-burst.  The  Brandenburgers  received 
food  and  water  only  at  night,  delivered  by  men  who 
crept  down  along  the  shell-swept  path.  And  the 
French  held  the  small  western  redoubt  on  the  flank 
of  their  lines  of  trenches  defending  the  village. 

Douaumont  village  was  attacked  persistently  from 
February  27  to  March  4.  Again  and  again  every 
man  of  the  Twentieth  Corps  re-earned  the  immortal 
Fourragere  which  had  already  been  won  in  Artois 
and  Champagne.  Hour  by  hour  the  trenches 
crumbled;  each  bombardment  was  punctuated  by 
massed  attacks,  but  the  defenders  hung  on.  "Our 
regiments  will  die  but  will  not  give  a  yard  without 
orders, ' '  was  the  command  and  motto. 

Wearied  by  the  failure  of  the  costly  frontal  at- 

240 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 

tacks,  the  Germans  now  reached  for  the  flank  west 
of  the  Meuse.  Obviously,  from  the  ground  gained 
on  the  east  bank,  the  original  French  lines  west  from 
the  river  could  be  enfiladed.  After  seven  massed  at- 
tacks, the  advanced  trenches  of  the  line  running 
from  the  Meuse  west  to  Champagne  were  a  shambles, 
and  the  right  wing  of  the  Third  French  Army  with- 
drew to  its  main  positions,  conforming  with  the 
front  north  of  Verdun  across  the  Hautes  de  Meuse 
— the  high  rocky  defile  through  which  the  river 
curves  its  way  northward. 

The  French  were  now  consolidated  on  ridges  only 
five  miles  from  the  key  positions  on  the  communica- 
tions from  the  Argonne  to  Verdun.  Picked  regi- 
ments held  the  heights  of  Mort  Homme  for  thirty- 
three  days  of  furious  assault,  with  only  one  pause. 
As  the  front  was  partially  protected  by  a  curve  in 
the  river,  massed  attacks  were  also  delivered  farther 
west  on  Haucourt  Hill,  in  an  effort  to  gain  the  rear 
of  the  ' '  Dead-Man ' '  positions.  Thousands  of  troops 
were  slaughtered  on  both  sides,  but  the  Germans 
gained  only  a  trench  element  and  600  prisoners. 
The  pressure  on  the  main  sectors  north  of  Verdun 
was  also  continued,  and  the  fury  of  the  assault  de- 
veloped farther  eastward,  with  a  special  effort  to 
envelop  the  fortress  and  village  of  Vaux,  which  at 
first  failed. 

With  its  curve  flattened  and  its  grip  widened,  and 
with  added  weight  on  its  claws,  the  relentless  arc  of 

241 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

artillery  was  closing  in  on  both  sides,  while  masses 
of  troops  1  tried  to  force  weak  points  developed  by 
the  guns. 

On  March  4,  the  battle  approached  the  climax  of 
its  intensity.  The  enemy  first  pushed  in  on  both 
sides  of  Douaumont,  enveloping  the  village.  Losing 
heavily,  the  garrison  cut  its  way  out.  Three  com- 
panies attempting  to  harry  this  retirement  were 
counter  attacked,  but  the  hand-to-hand  fight  was 
ended  by  a  deluge  of  shells  from  German  batteries 
which  impartially  tore  up  friend  and  foe  as  the 
French  dug  in  south  of  the  breach. 

The  claw  that  was  reaching  west  of  the  Meuse 
made  constant  progress  over  the  defenses  toward 
Melancourt,  but  the  tactics  of  envelopment  failed  on 
account  of  the  stubborn  resistance  maintained  by 
the  French,  curved  around  the  Mort  Homme  and 
west  on  Hill  304  above  Avoucourt.  On  March  12, 
the  weight  of  four  German  divisions  on  a  three-mile 
front  finally  pushed  men  over  a  trail  of  corpses  up 
two  ravines  from  Forges  and  farther  west,  pene- 
trating the  French  lines  at  both  points  and  gaining 

1  During  the  first  part  of  March  the  Germans  used  the  Sixteenth 
Corps,  the  Sixth  and  Tenth  Reserve  Corps,  and  special  divisions 
on  the  sectors  west  of  the  Meuse.  The  Seventh  Reserve,  the 
Eighteenth  and  Third  Corps,  and  finally  the  Fifth  Reserve  Corps 
were  employed  on  the  center  directly  above  Verdun.  Part  of  the 
Fifteenth,  the  Fifth  Corps,  and  the  Third  Bavarian  Corps  at- 
tacked the  French  right,  the  Bavarians  operating  below  Les 
Eparges  in  conjunction  with  the  special  forces  of  von  Stranz 
from  St.  Mihiel. 

242 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 

the  front  trenches  between  them.  But  every  effort 
of  the  assailants  to  join  forces  in  the  rear  in 
order  to  cut  out  the  high  ground  between  them,  or 
to  work  along  the  rear  of  the  Mort  Homme, 
failed. 

On  the  16th,  a  third  wedge  was  driven  in  farther 
west,  but  again  the  point  was  blunted  and  checked, 
and  these  salients  restricted  the  target  for  the  Ger- 
man batteries. 

Sheer  weight  on  the  last  wedge,  sustained  for  two 
weeks,  spread  its  area,  and  the  front  before  Melan- 
court  was  evacuated  late  on  March  31.  An  airman 
by  moonlight  saw  scores  of  batteries  closing  over 
to  follow  up  this  advantage,  so  before  daylight  the 
French  troops  were  moved  silently  back  to  strong 
reserve  positions  on  the  south  bank  of  the  small 
Forges  Eiver.  It  was  on  April  1,  rather  signifi- 
cantly, that  the  Crown  Prince  delivered  his  "  sur- 
prise" which  was  to  break  and  turn  the  stubborn 
line  to  the  Meuse  in  order  to  outflank  Verdun. 
Thousands  of  shells  blasted  the  empty  French 
trenches — the  troops  silent  and  unscathed  across  the 
Forges.  Then  five  massed  lines  moved  to  the  attack. 
Not  a  shot  was  fired  until  the  Germans  were  well 
over  the  crest  of  the  evacuated  position.  Then  the 
untouched  French  unmasked  a  murderous  fire, 
throwing  the  enemy  into  confusion.  They  bravely 
tried  to  cling  to  shell  craters,  but  were  too  exposed, 
and  finally  fled,  batteries  above  Bethincourt  tearing 

243 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

their  flank.  Two  thousand  dead  marked  this  at- 
tempt. 

The  center  above  Verdun,  further  flattened  by  a 
week  of  desperate  assaults,  was  still  unbroken,  and 
for  seven  days  picked  storm-troops  under  von  Cor- 
nitz  littered  the  ground  east  of  Douaumont  with 
thousands  of  dead,  in  a  fruitless  effort  to  break  in 
around  Vaux.  When  they  paused  from  exhaustion, 
a  counter  attack  drove  them  from  part  of  the  Cail- 
lette  wood.  On  April  3  a  desperate  battle  with  en- 
tirely fresh  German  divisions  raged  on  a  front  of 
thirty-three  miles.  On  the  eastern  sectors,  the  claw 
made  a  definite  advance  below  Vaux.  One  force 
broke  in  on  the  reorganized  line  between  Vaux  and 
Douaumont  and  created  a  dangerous  situation  until 
the  marvelous  75  guns  closed  in  and,  regardless  of 
losses,  delivered  a  hurricane  of  fire  at  close  range. 
Then  a  famous  infantry  regiment,  trained  by  Foch, 
swept  up  with  the  bayonet  and  ejected  the  Germans, 
firing  not  a  single  shot  in  the  operation. 

Fighting  ebbed  and  flowed,  tons  of  steel  raining 
on  the  French,  until  April  20  when,  after  a  quieter 
night,  drum  fire  burst  on  the  entire  front  at  daylight, 
and  the  afternoon  saw  waves  of  gray  again  breaking 
at  every  vulnerable  point  on  the  left  center  and  right. 
The  high  tide  of  the  battle  was  outlined  by  mounds 
of  corpses  and  by  a  dozen  minor  salients  held  by 
utterly  exhausted  German  troops,  and  night  was 
marked  by  comparative  silence,  both  sides  being  in- 

244 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 

capable  of  further  effort.  But  as  reveille  sounded, 
Petain  gave  the  signal,  and  impetuous  French  re- 
serves sprang  forward  in  a  restrained  counter-offen- 
sive which  ejected  the  enemy  from  seven  salients, 
and  on  the  entire  front  the  line  was  straightened. 

On  April  29  three  simultaneous  assaults  on  all 
sectors  were  repulsed.  Further  attacks  were  at- 
tempted, but  even  supermen  have  a  limit,  and  the 
German  masses  now  broke  and  recoiled  at  the  first 
burst  of  French  fire.  On  April  30  aviators  reported 
that  many  German  batteries  were  '  *  retiring. ' '  The 
battle,  continuous  for  more  than  nine  weeks,  was 
lapsing  sullenly,  and  despite  awful  losses  the  French 
front  and  spirit  remained  unbroken.  At  night  now 
star  shells  revealed  only  gruesome  fatigue  par- 
ties collecting  the  German  dead  who  littered  the 
landscape  like  the  gray  rocks  of  the  Brittany 
coast. 

The  German  casualty  lists  were  appalling.  With 
what  Napier  called  the  "mechanical  courage  of 
close-order  discipline"  perfectly  developed,  masses 
of  troops  again  and  again  had  swept  at  practically 
impregnable  French  positions.  The  dead  were 
piled  in  thousands.  Sanguinary  combats  had  raged 
on  the  steep  defiles  along  the  Meuse.  Miles  lower 
down,  during  the  height  of  this  fighting,  the  writer 
saw  the  river  thickly  polluted  with  the  gruesome 
debris  of  these  battles,  especially  after  the  Germans 
launched  mines  to  drift  against  the  French  barriers, 

245 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

or  when  concentrated  fire  smashed  loaded  pontoons 
in  costly  attempts  to  turn  flanks  on  the  banks. 

It  often  took  all  night  to  collect  the  thousands  of 
German  dead.  For  sanitary  reasons,  few  could  ob- 
ject to  the  cremation  of  the  fallen ;  but  the  mind  re- 
volts at  the  system  which  gathers  the  gallant  dead 
like  carrion,  strips  off  the  uniform,  and  wires  the 
stark  forms  in  bundles  which  are  stacked  in  the  dis- 
trict Leichen  Halle  and  transported  by  periodic 
trains  to  the  furnaces  of  the  different  army  groups. 
Words  fail  in  dealing  with  the  direct  evidence  of  foul 
materialism  which  used  its  science  to  extract  by- 
products from  the  bodies  of  its  heroes,  and  which 
changed  its  kilns  for  incineration  into  "  corpse  util- 
ization" factories,  where  bone  and  fat  were  sepa- 
rated and  reduced  to  economic  terms  to  maintain  the 
Kultur  which  claims  "Gott  mit  uns"  and  inscribes 
"Deutsche  Treue"  on  the  escutcheon  of  Mittel- 
europa.  This  horror,  reported  first  from  the  Ver- 
dun front,  was  confirmed  by  a  captured  order  to  the 
Sixth  Army  on  the  Somme  front. 

The  British  army  was  now  taking  over  the  lines  in 
Artois  and  Picardy,  releasing  French  forces  to  re- 
pair the  Verdun  losses.  Having  underestimated  the 
British  efforts,  the  German  Staff  now  found  that  a 
formidable  menace  was  growing  on  their  western 
center.  At  all  costs,  therefore,  it  seemed  necessary 
to  smash  Verdun  in  order  to  establish  direct  com- 
munications from  Metz  and  dominate  the  Meuse- 

246 


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247 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Moselle  watershed  before  the  British  could  attack. 

On  May  7,  General  Petain  was  promoted  to  com- 
mand the  entire  southern  line,  and  General  Nivelle, 
the  half-English  hero  of  Alsace,  leader  of  the 
Seventh  Corps  on  the  Ourcq,  was  selected  to  control 
the  Central  armies,  with  Mangin  in  local  command 
of  Verdun.  This  day  was  marked  by  a  new  artil- 
lery attack,  with  the  greatest  weight  on  the  east 
wing.  The  artillery  retirement  reported  earlier  was 
for  regrouping,  and  the  German  assaults  were  soon 
falling  more  fiercely  than  ever.  Their  weight 
finally  told.  The  line  crept  in  well  below  Vaux ;  the 
grip  on  Fort  Douaumont  was  firmly  reestablished  on 
June  1,  and  at  Fort  Vaux — held  by  Major  Raynal 
and  the  101st  Infantry — over  8,000  howitzer  shells 
crashed  in  on  turret  and  battlement  until  only  130 
men  were  left.  At  night,  260  survivors  from  the 
trenches  southeast  crept  into  the  fort,  which  next 
day  was  surrounded.  With  this  garrison,  reduced 
daily  and  without  water,  the  Major  resisted  until  the 
night  of  the  6th,  when  he  and  the  survivors  crept 
through  the  main  sewer  and  escaped. 

The  eastern  claw  had  now  gripped  the  Souville 
plateau  and  pushed  in  the  French  right  to  Fleury 
and  Forts  de  Souville  and  Tavannes  on  the  inner 
line,  which  barred  the  railroad  from  Metz.  Tons  of 
steel  daily  smashed  the  defenses  at  Fleury,  where  for 
five  weeks  a  persistent  but  fruitless  effort  was  made 
to  break  in  and  take  the  forts  in  the  rear.  On  July 

248 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 

11,  with  new  Bavarian  divisions,  eight  tremendous 
assaults  were  delivered  along  the  entire  eastern  half 
of  the  crescent.  The  defenders  of  Fleury  were  prac- 
tically obliterated  and  a  gap  was  forced  through  the 
reserve  lines. 

An  engineer  commander,  leaving  Verdun  in  his 
car,  saw  the  German  flood  suddenly  pouring  down 
the  road  that  led  behind  the  forts  and  to  the  city. 
Under  a  hail  of  shots  he  went  back  for  machine  gun 
detachments,  which  checked  the  rush  until  reserves 
arrived. 

For  four  days  the  Germans  battled  desperately  to 
enlarge  their  thrust  which  was  reaching  the  vitals  of 
the  fortress  called  by  the  Crown  Prince  "the  Heart 
of  France."  British  victories  on  the  Somme  now 
made  the  royal  general  desperate  for  a  decision,  and 
he  poured  out  his  men  like  water  until  their  endur- 
ance failed.  Yet  during  these  attacks  the  French 
sent  three  divisions  to  the  Somme. 

Forces  specially  selected  and  directed  by  General 
Mangin  severely  modified  the  German  advance  be- 
low Fleury  on  July  15.  Frontal  attacks,  regardless 
of  cost,  on  the  two  threatened  forts,  were  also  re- 
pulsed. The  Germans  had  occupied  120  square 
miles  of  territory  and  had  captured  over  40,000  pris- 
oners. The  French  losses  were  nearly  200,000  men, 
but  the  Germans  had  lost  over  500,000. 

Mangin  now  decided  upon  a  surprise  stroke 
against  an  evidently  over-strained  enemy.  On  Au- 

249 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

gust  1  the  forces  of  the  Crown  Prince  were  at- 
tempting to  push  in  well  south  of  Tavannes,  when 
the  French  suddenly  counter  attacked  toward  Fleury 
and  farther  north,  where  they  temporarily  broke 
the  German  center  and  pushed  it  back  toward  Dou- 


c?w,«      ^»b       V>  >jU«:B.  <6V      . 

Js^&^Xr^i  kfi/ 

>?,•*    o       rffiX       «4     >r 


MAP  No.  4. — GROUND  LOST  AND  GAINED  ABOVE  VERDUN. 
Dotted  line  shows  original  German  position.    Lower  line  marks 
limit  of  their  advance. — The  shaded  portions  show  the  ground 
retaken  in  1916  and  1917  by  the  French. 

aumont.    When  the  first  impact  was  checked,  the 
French  dug  in  and  for  sixteen  days  fought  on  until 
Fleury  was  theirs  again  and  the  irregular  front  was 
straightened  on  its  old  intermediate  defense  line. 
The  huge  drain  of  shells  for  the  Somme  had 

250 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 

quieted  the  batteries  attacking  Verdun,  and  the  in- 
creasing success  of  the  British  in  September  drew 
several  German  divisions  westward.  Nivelle  and 
Mangin  now  prepared  another  surprise,  with  three 
divisions  led  by  De  Salines,  De  Passaga,  and  De 
Lardemelle.  The  troops  first  went  to  Chalons  to 
recuperate  and  rehearse  every  detail  of  attack  on 
huge  plans  marked  in  replica  on  the  grounds.  On 
October  24  the  attack  was  delivered. 

The  French  had  definitely  located  seventy  German 
batteries  on  the  five-mile  front  selected.  Massed 
guns  suddenly  concentrated  their  fire  and  crippled 
this  artillery  and  then  blew  definite  gaps  in  the 
German  lines.  Just  before  midday,  in  a  dense  fog, 
the  French  divisions  dashed  forward,  following  their 
carefully  rehearsed  tactics.  On  the  left,  a  division 
aimed  due  north  to  gain  the  Bras-Douaumont  road 
and  to  swing  around  with  its  right  on  the  fort.  The 
next  division — the  center — aimed  between  that  for- 
tress and  Vaux,  its  wings  to  spread  to  the  outworks 
left  and  right.  The  third  division  aimed  south  of 
Vaux. 

The  French  had  constructed  the  largest  siege  how- 
itzer in  history,  a  greater  weapon  than  "Fleissige 
Bertha."  As  the  attacking  lines  approached  their 
objectives,  this  dropped  its  projectiles  on  the  Ger- 
man lines.  Four  shells  hit  Fort  Vaux  and  it  was 
temporarily  evacuated.  Fort  Douaumont  was  soon 
on  fire  and  filled  with  fumes.  Von  Luchow,  von 

251 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Luttwitz,  and  the  doughty  Keservist,  von  Zwehl,  had 
been  utterly  baffled  by  the  scientific  tactics  of  the 
French.  "With  huge  forces  they  had  attempted  sim- 
ilar things  and  failed.  Heerdenmenschen  had  lost, 
and  elan  and  initiative  were  now  to  win. 

The  French  drove  forward  in  three  protected 
wedges,  joined  forces  behind  their  objectives,  and 
thus  cut  out  great  sections  of  the  enemy's  lines.  A 
huge  forceps  of  men,  Colonials  on  the  left,  the 
French  divisions  in  the  center,  literally  clamped  out 
the  Douaumont  ridge,  debouching  through  ravines 
and  woods  on  the  west  and  east.  On  the  right,  the 
other  division  broke  through  east  of  Vaux  and 
turned  the  line  there.  It  was  a  dramatic  coup  which 
had  fully  succeeded  before  dark — a  trident  pushed 
in  to  encompass  two  strongholds. 

A  battalion  of  rapid  Morocco  infantry,  "cheval  a 
pieds,"  led  by  Major  Nicols,  fought  their  way  to 
Fort  Douaumont.  A  party  of  volunteers  led  by 
Lieutenant  Dumont  crept  under  the  wire  into  the 
blazing  fort.  Machine  guns  were  smashed  by  their 
hand  grenades,  and  the  depleted  garrison  of  dazed 
Brandenburgers  dropped  their  rifles  and  surren- 
dered. 

Vaux  was  gripped  also,  but  fought  on  stubbornly. 
Next  day,  the  lines  west  of  Douaumont  were  rolled 
up  from  the  flank  and  occupied  to  within  two  miles 
of  the  Meuse.  The  French  moved  their  guns  up, 
reenforced  their  exhausted  troops,  and  exerted 

252 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VEEDUN 

steady  pressure  for  five  days.  Then  Andlauer  's  di- 
vision stormed  over  the  Vaux  plateau;  Arlabosse's 
division  crept  through  the  Fumin  wood,  and  the 
enemy  fled  from  Vaux  fort. 

The  tricolor  was  hoisted  on  November  2 — a  dra- 
matic scene — with  the  French  musicians  ironically 
playing  the  "Chant  de  Depart"  amid  a  cascade  of 
German  shells.  The  ugly  defenses  of  the  village 
were  crushed  on  the  4th.  An  attack  southeast  to- 
ward the  Woevre  and  west  to  the  Meuse  restored  to 
France  in  two  weeks  the  entire  main  line — a  full 
negation  of  Germany 's  nine  months  of  bloody  effort. 

The  Crown  Prince  had  now  to  reestablish  and  hold 
the  outer  line  of  the  original  perimeter  with  six 
divisions,  and  he  held  in  reserve  only  five  more, 
"resting"  from  the  Somme.  Haig's  pressure  had 
told. 

Three  French  divisions  of  Verdun  veterans  and  a 
new  division  went  back  to  Chalons  to  train  for  the 
final  coup.  Air  photographs  and  maps  made  repro- 
duction of  the  front  possible.  Each  unit  rehearsed 
its  part,  and  on  December  16  the  scientific  offensive 
was  launched  to  final  victory — pushing  out  a  six- 
mile  curve  over  solidly  fortified  ridges  to  a  depth  of 
two  miles.  In  three  days  the  earlier  victory  became 
a  triumph. 

In  the  revanche  at  Verdun  the  French  captured 
26,668  Germans;  115  guns  were  taken  in  three  De- 
cember days.  In  the  area  of  woods  and  ridges,  Ger- 

253 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

man  authorities  estimate  that  there  were  expended  in 
shells  1,350,000  tons  of  steel,  sowing  an  average  of 
50  tons  an  acre.  No  less  than  42  divisions  had 
passed  through  the  ordeal  of  sacrifice  to  win  a  halo 
for  their  Crown  Prince,  who  was  given  supreme  com- 
mand of  the  entire  group  of  armies  on  the  Aisne,  of 
Champagne,  and  Verdun,  while  his  septuagenarian 
mentor,  his  lesser  generals,  and  also  von  Deimling, 
were  retired  in  disgrace  as  scapegoats  for  the  san- 
guinary failure.  In  his  Verdun  command  some  ex- 
members  of  his  infamous  Club  der  Harmlosen  had 
truly  earned  their  promotion. 

On  the  eve  of  this  victory,  General  Nivelle  was 
promoted  to  commander  in  chief  of  the  French  Army 
in  the  field ;  and  after  the  wear  of  over  two  years  of 
active  service  General  Joffre,  as  field  marshal,  took 
over  the  administrative  control  of  the  new  era  of 
military  history  opened  by  the  Battle  of  the  Somme. 

In  June,  1917,  the  famous  Mort  Homme,  held  by 
dismounted  cavalry,  and  Hill  304  were  lost  by  a  sud- 
den German  coup.  The  French  answer  was  com- 
plete. Inviting  the  American  officers  to  witness 
their  triumph  and  learn  actual  conditions,  the  French 
made  an  impetuous  drive  on  both  sides  of  the  Meuse 
on  August  20,  with  the  troops  of  Fondclair,  Fran- 
chette  and  Martin.  Von  Dietrich  was  driven  from 
Mort  Homme.  The  French  put  their  front  on  the 
important  points  of  the  original  line  as  it  stood  in 
1916,  except  at  Ornes.  In  the  Legion  Etrangere, 

254 


THE  ATTACK  ON  VERDUN 

Americans  again  fought  and  died,  but  inspired  by 
the  knowledge  that  they  were  no  longer  individual 
representatives  of  their  country's  conscience,  but 
allies  in  a  common  cause.  And  General  Pershing 
greeted  the  wounded  as  they  were  carried  back, 
proud  and  content,  part  of  the  first  regiment  to  win 
the  Legion  of  Honor  Cross. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

SILENTLY  and  thoroughly,  Greater  Britain  had 
been  preparing  for  her  part.  The  Regulars  had 
played  the  game  in  the  earlier  battles ;  the  shattered 
battalions  had  been  rebuilt  with  Reservists  and  Ter- 
ritorials to  stem  the  tide  in  North  France  and  Bel- 
gium. This  original  army  establishment  had  been 
obliterated  in  the  glorious  shambles  of  the  thin  line 
that  was  never  broken,  and  a  wider  Army  of  the 
Empire  had  taken  over  the  immortal  trenches 
marked  lightly  across  the  front  of  blood-soaked  mud. 
An  army  of  250,000  men  was  the  pledge  of  the  Power 
whose  navy  was  holding  the  Seven  Seas.  Yet  at  the 
end  of  1915  the  casualty  lists  alone  showed  16,471 
officers  and  528,000  men — two-thirds  of  whom  had 
fallen  on  the  defensive  barrier  of  dogged  pluck — 
and  4,000,000  volunteers  were  training  in  reserve, 
at  a  time  when  service  seemed  a  synonym  for  ex- 
termination, with  inadequate  forces  on  the  line. 

General  French  being  now  retired  with  fame  for 
endurance  (Joffre's  emotion  at  the  parting  is  a 
gauge  of  his  service),  Sir  Douglas  Haig  assumed 
command  of  the  new  British  Grand  Army,  and  its 

256 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

executive  head  was  General  Kobertson,  who  had 
started  as  a  cavalry  trooper.  The  ground  work  was 
still  tedious.  For  one  item,  3,000  miles  of  railroad 
had  to  be  constructed  along  the  front,  chiefly  on  shell- 
swept  ground.  In  England,  the  same  number  of  fac- 
tories had  to  be  established  to  turn  out  adequate  ar- 
tillery, machine  guns,  shells  by  the  millions,  cart- 
ridges by  the  billions,  and  the  numerous  adjuncts  to 
new  trench  warfare. 

Behind  the  lines,  every  month,  training  camps  and 
"bull  pens"  were  turning  out  men  by  the  hundred 
thousand.  On  the  Flanders  front,  the  British  line 
had  crept  south.  Then  a  complete  army  took  over 
the  French  trenches  between  Hebuterne  to  the 
Somme  Valley,  a  section  directly  supplied  from 
Havre.  Next  the  French  Army  of  Artois  was  re- 
leased for  Verdun,  and  the  British  took  over  the 
Arras  sections,  linking  their  forces  solidly  on  an 
exposed  line  of  one  hundred  intrenched  miles. 

But  the  lessons  of  Lens  and  Champagne  in  Sep- 
tember had  not  been  lost  on  the  Germans.  During 
the  winter  and  spring  of  1916,  every  yard  of 
defenses  was  enormously  strengthened  and  backed 
by  strong  reserve  lines.  On  the  west  front,  from 
the  sea  to  the  Somme,  adequate  forces  for  defense 
faced  the  British  threat  with  complacency.  His 
headquarters  at  Roulers,  the  Duke  of  Wurttemberg 
commanded  the  line  in  Belgium,  with  the  Naval 
Corps  on  the  coast,  four  Landwehr  and  Ersatz  divi- 

257 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

sions  facing  the  Belgian  army,  and  the  Twenty-sixth 
Reserve  and  Thirteenth  Army  Corps  curved  around 
Ypres  to  the  frontier.  Continuing  the  line,1  Ru- 
precht  of  Bavaria  at  Lille  commanded  the  Twenty- 
third  Reserve,  Nineteenth,  Seventh,  Second  Bava- 
rian, Fourth  and  Ninth  Reserve,  First  Bavarian, 
Fourteenth  Reserve,  and  Sixth  Army  Corps  on  the 
front  from  Belgium  to  the  Somme,  with  two  Guard 
divisions  held  for  special  work. 

Rumors  of  a  big  British  drive  had  strangled  them- 
selves in  the  long  months  of  nonfulfillment.  But  it 
came  at  last  on  July  1,  1916,  heralded  by  four  weeks 
of  persistent  bombardment,  and  launched  on  De  Cas- 
telnau's  old  front  before  Amiens,  with  tortured 
Albert  as  the  center  of  the  British  effort  and  bril- 
liant French  cooperation  across  the  Somme  marshes. 

Recall  the  battles  of  the  first  autumn,  when  the 
Germans  attempted  to  recapture  Amiens.  The 
drive  from  Peronne  was  halted  by  the  line  across  the 
Somme  Valley.  But  as  the  attack  developed,  the 
German  Second  Army  flowed  well  forward  over  the 
high  ground  above  it,  sweeping  across  the  serried 
Thiepval  plateau,  to  be  checked  and  forced  to  in- 
trench on  the  southern  and  western  edge.  North  of 
the  Somme,  therefore,  the  German  front  described 

1  Under  the  Hindenburg-Ludendorff  regime  Prince  Rupprecht 
assumed  command  of  all  forces  from  the  coast  to  Laon,  the 
Crown  Prince  controlled  the  southern  line,  Laon  to  Verdun,  and 
the  Duke  of  Wurttemberg  took  charge  of  the  frontier  army,  Metz 
to  Switzerland. 

258 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

a  huge  crescent  of  trenches  facing  almost  south  be- 
fore it  curved  north  again  and  faced  due  west  on  the 
hills  along  the  Ancre,  to  which  De  Castelnau  had 
finally  pinned  von  Buelow's  army  below  Arras. 

The  early  war  maps  made  it  difficult  to  follow  the 
British  offensive,  because  they  were  marked  by  a 
straight  line  from  Bray  north  to  Arras — for  little 
has  been  written  about  the  great  flood  which  the 
French  stopped  in  Picardy.  But  it  formed  a  big 
bulge  between  the  Somme  and  the  Scarpe,  over  the 
high  ground  before  Bapaume  where  successive 
ridges  were  ready  for  each  caliber  of  German  artil- 
lery, to  back  a  sweeping  deployment  over  the  plains 
below — the  drive  which  would  have  cut  off  all  the 
western  half  of  Northern  France  to  the  sea  had  the 
Germans  blundered  less,  had  De  Castelnau 's  forces 
faltered,  or  had  Joffre  been  a  day  late  in  creating 
the  flanking  army  at  Arras.  The  German  offensive 
had  then  become  defensive.  But  for  twenty  months 
the  serried  ridges  had  gained  in  strength. 

Above  the  Somme  loop,  at  Frise  and  Curlu,  curve 
a  line  on  the  map  toward  Hardecourt  and  due  west 
below  Mametz  and  Fricourt  toward  Albert.  Then 
curve  north  around  the  outskirts  of  La  Boisselle,  two 
and  a  half  miles  northwest  from  Albert,  twisting 
snake-like  on  the  ridges  east  of  and  overlooking  the 
Ancre,  below  Thiepval.  Still  north,  cross  the  river 
and  trace  the  line  through  Serre  and  Hebuterne 
through  Monchy.  Two  miles  above  this,  turn  the 

259 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

line  directly  northeast  to  Glangy  due  east  of  Arras, 
and  you  have  outlined  the  great  bulge  of  occupied 
territory  between  Peronne  and  Arras,  pushed 
roughly  ten  miles  due  west  from  Bapaume  and 
twenty-five  miles  across,  from  the  Somme  to  the 
Scarpe. 

On  this  outlined  front,  the  German  army  groups 
maintained  a  front-line  system  of  a  maze  of 
trenches  from  four  to  ten  rows  deep,  zigzagged 
across  the  ridges,  the  lower  ground  in  front  tangled 
with  barbed  wire.  Behind  this,  deep  concrete  for- 
tifications linked  the  outer  villages  and  held  thou- 
sands of  machine  guns  which  could  sweep  every 
approach  in  assault,  but  which  could  rest  securely 
underground  during  bombardments.  Over  a  hun- 
dred Picardy  villages  were  linked  in  a  series  of  field 
fortifications  which  formed  three  definite  systems 
or  lines.  In  every  sector,  woods,  heavily  wired, 
screened  clever  artillery  positions  and  were  cut  up 
by  alleys  for  machine  guns  to  operate  at  various 
angles.  The  Germans  had  intrenched  to  make  the 
front  an  unassailable  part  of  a  permanent  frontier. 

The  Allies  had  small  choice  for  battery  positions. 
But  the  British  artillery  had  grown  to  stupendous 
power,  and  the  guns  were  massed  closely  along  every 
yard  of  the  front,  relying  for  concealment  on  a  flimsy 
camouflage  of  branches,  on  air  superiority,  and  on 
weight  of  metal  when  their  power  was  unmasked. 
For  weeks,  tons  of  British  shell  shook  the  German 

260 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

lines  in  France  and  Belgium.  But  the  chief  weight 
fell  on  the  sectors  below  the  Ancre.  With  the 
French  operating  on  both  sides  of  the  Somme  Eiver, 
aiming  at  Peronne,  the  British  planned  to  crush  in 
round  the  curve  of  the  bulge  on  a  wide  front  whence 
they  could  drive  a  wedge  toward  Bapaume,  which 
would  act  as  a  lever  at  the  base  and  wrench  the  mass 
away.  With  such  a  gap,  further  pressure  might 
force  a  road  toward  Valenciennes,  to  modify  the  en- 
tire front  in  France,  and  perhaps  end  static  warfare. 
By  June  30,  the  German  side  of  the  artillery  duel 
had  materially  weakened;  their  front  trench  lines 
were  a  mass  of  debris  and  torn  wire.  All  night  the 
attacking  guns  roared  without  a  break.  All  night, 
too,  columns  of  British  infantry  closed  in  to  reen- 
f orce  the  intrenched  forces  of  the  Fourth  Army  un- 
der Rawlinson,  who  commanded  the  operations ;  the 
Seventh,  Eighth,  Tenth,  Third,  Fifteenth,  and  Thir- 
teenth Corps,  running  from  left  to  right,  were 
massed  along  the  line.  Selected  divisions  were  de- 
ployed in  the  advance  trenches  on  a  front  of  twenty 
miles  from  Gommecourt  north  of  the  Ancre  along 
the  western  front  to  La  Boisselle  and  curving  along 
the  southern  defenses  to  Maricourt,  where  the 
French  were  consolidating,  and  where  the  front 
faced  west  again  across  the  Somme  Valley  south- 
ward to  Fay.  To  visualize  the  scene  of  this  great 
battle,  take  the  general  aspect  of  Westchester 
County — its  series  of  hills,  woods  and  valleys.  It 

261 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

was  an  ironically  peaceful  setting  of  farms,  of  ham- 
lets showing  through  the  trees  that  hid  their  partial 
ruin,  and  of  pasture  run  to  seed,  gorgeous  in  patches 
of  color.  But  at  the  foot  and  sides  of  the  plateau 
and  ridges  which  stand  above  the  Ancre  and  curve 
round  to  the  Somme,  pulverized  belts  of  torn  earth, 
stumps  and  broken  masonry  marked  the  work  of 
British  guns  on  the  hardly  visible  lines  of  defense 
hidden  underground.  Once  these  arrondissements 
were  the  home  of  disorder,  boycott,  and  agrarian  out- 
rage which  Ireland  never  equaled.  But  content  had 
been  regained  in  the  peaceful  valleys  until  von  Bue- 
low's  army  swept  across. 

Many  villages  were  only  looted,  and  stood  intact  in 
the  enemy's  lines,  masking  deep  the  concrete  works 
in  their  cellars — fortresses  linked  in  the  chains  of 
defenses  rising  tier  on  tier  on  successive  ridges  to 
Bapaume.  To  the  south  the  lazy  Somme  curled 
through  difficult  marshes  in  the  valley  across  which 
the  French  had  gathered.  Along  the  Ancre  flowers 
and  grass  had  softened  the  mine  craters  prodigal  in 
the  district,  but  British  howitzers  were  now  tearing 
up  new  excavations. 

At  night  the  scene  was  strange,  with  miles  of  gun 
flash,  signal  rockets  in  the  German  lines,  the  roar  of 
artillery,  and  the  steady  tramp  of  legions  of  march- 
ing feet  as  the  columns  closed  in  for  the  attack,  sing- 
ing to  their  stride,  and  showing  no  trace  of  the 
ordeal  to  which  they  were  closing,  with  its  death  to 

262 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

many  thousands.  Miles  of  transports  held  the 
roads,  and  ambulance  trains  moving  up  for  the  mor- 
row's work.  The  near  background  showed  line  on 
line  of  guns  belching  destruction  on  those  silent 
trenches  on  the  foothills  and  artillery  replying  far 
behind  them.  So  the  night  passed — a  mass  of  seem- 
ing confusion  from  which  the  British  faculty  for  or- 
der evolved  system  until  all  was  ready  for  the  signal. 

It  came  at  7 :30  A.  M.,  July  1,  with  a  barely  percept- 
ible pause  in  the  guns  as  the  range  leaped  from  the 
smoking  first  lines  to  a  fire  curtain  behind  them.  A 
huge  mine  exploded  under  the  bastion  of  La  Bois- 
selle;  clouds  of  black  smoke  were  released  on  "no 
man's  land"  for  a  screen.  And  a  curving  wave  of 
troops  twenty-five  miles  long  were  over  the  parapets 
and  charging  the  German  lines. 

Yet  the  churned  earth  of  the  enemy  front  came  to 
life  in  places — but  there  was  little  loss  generally  as 
the  British  tore  across  the  first  lap — and  then  ma- 
chine guns  and  rifles  burst  from  reserve  trenches, 
the  German  guns  came  into  action,  and  the  real  bat- 
tle had  started. 

The  enemy  expected  attack  on  the  west  on  a  nar- 
rower front,  and  had  massed  his  reserves  and  guns 
before  Hebuterne,  along  the  rising  ground  at  Serre, 
Beaumont  Hamel  and  Thiepval.  The  left  wing 
therefore  faced  a  hurricane  of  fire,  and  the  lines 
were  torn  to  pieces  as  they  charged.  Supports  fol- 
lowed steadily  up  the  slopes  and  finally  took  the 

263 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

first  line.  By  magnificent  bravery  men  of  the 
Seventh  Corps  went  on,  swept  up  to  Serre,  and  some 
troops  swarmed  round  Thiepval.  But  the  efforts 
could  not  be  maintained.  The  Germans  everywhere 
were  massed  on  high  ground  with  a  clear  field  of 
fire,  and  wave  on  wave  of  British  troops  was  swept 
away  as  they  strove  to  reach  the  dominating  posi- 
tions. Machine  guns  cut  through  the  ranks  like 
scythes. 

On  the  center  La  Boisselle,  and  Fricourt  checked 
any  sweeping  advance.  The  ridge,  most  of  the  vil- 
lage of  La  Boisselle,  and  part  of  Fricourt  were  taken 
during  the  day;  otherwise  little  progress  was  made 
beyond  the  capture  of  the  first  trench  lines,  thou- 
sands of  troops  being  swept  away  as  they  strove  to 
reach  the  main  strongholds.  But  at  several  points 
in  the  center  the  British  had  taken  deep  bites  in  the 
German  front. 

On  the  right,  an  advance  of  nearly  one  mile  was 
made  on  a  front  of  seven,  the  British  sweeping  over 
several  important  defenses,  including  the  fortified 
villages  of  Mametz  and  Montauban,  and  strongholds 
in  the  Bernafay  wood. 

Little  ground  was  lost  at  night  during  fierce  coun- 
ter attacks,  however,  and  at  daylight  the  guns  recom- 
menced on  the  stubborn  salients  before  which  the 
British  dead  were  piled.  Fricourt,  on  the  curve,  was 
completely  conquered  at  heavy  cost  before  the  sec- 
ond afternoon,  and  some  troops  gained  a  footing  in 

264 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

the  fortified  woods  above  it.  But  in  the  environs  of 
La  Boisselle  and  Thiepval  desperate  assaults  were 
repulsed  and  a  later  counter  attack  gave  the  enemy 
Serre  again. 

From  the  2nd  £o  the  7th,  minor  progress  was  made 
by  the  British,  who  sustained  frightful  losses  in 
straightening  out  their  new  lines  and  consolidating 
positions  where  they  were  hanging  on  doggedly  at 
the  edge  of  formidable  field  fortifications,  bombing 
their  way  forward  a  yard  here  and  there,  and  every- 
where exposed  to  machine-gun  fire.  It  was  the  real 
baptism  of  fire  for  most  of  the  battalions,  and  the 
men  were  often  too  keen  to  smash  forward  and  win 
at  all  costs. 

The  lessons  of  the  first  week  on  the  Somme  should 
be  studied  in  the  United  States,  for  the  eagerness  of 
American  regiments  to  get  to  close  grips  with  the 
enemy  will  cause  many  casualties  and  a  waste  of 
precious  men  unless  impetuosity  is  checked.  How- 
ever, troops  will  see  red  at  first,  and  nothing  but 
practical  experience  can  teach  the  ratio  of  caution. 

On  July  1,  below  Gommecourt,  a  command  of  fa- 
mous London  volunteers — the  Queen's  Westmin- 
sters (friendly  rivals  of  the  New  York  Seventh),  the 
London  Scottish,  the  Rifle  Brigade,  Rangers,  and 
Kensingtons — broke  through  the  first  line.  They 
went  on  through  a  hail  of  machine-gun  fire  and  broke 
through  the  second  line.  With  magnificent  enthu- 
siasm they  now  followed  the  fleeing  Germans  toward 

265 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  third  line  of  defenses,  and  were  checked  in  the 
outworks,  far  beyond  their  objective.  By  lucky  sig- 
nals they  stopped  the  scheduled  bombardment  of  the 
British  guns  which  would  have  cleared  the  front  they 
were  holding.  But  the  troops  on  each  side  had  not 
been  able  to  advance  so  far.  Their  flanks  were  ex- 
posed and  they  were  too  close  to  the  next  defenses 
for  artillery  to  help  safely.  Ammunition  ran  low, 
and  the  Germans  placed  a  terrific  barrage  behind 
them — a  veritable  portcullis  of  shells — so  they  could 
neither  be  reenforced  nor  supplied.  A  sad  few 
trickled  back.  Some  companies  dug  in,  and  for 
nearly  a  week  made  a  hopeless  defense,  suffering 
terrific  losses  before  the  survivors  would  withdraw. 
Yet  no  general  could  withhold  praise.  Like  good 
sportsmen,  they  had  attempted  the  impossible  and 
nearly  succeeded.  They  sacrificed  seven-eighths  of 
their  strength  and  never  surrendered,  giving  the  an- 
swer to  the  German  delusion  that  citizen  soldiers 
cannot  fight. 

At  times,  entire  British  battalions  were  shot  to 
pieces  as  they  charged  cheering  across  the  open, 
when  they  should  have  fallen  flat  for  two  minutes 
to  allow  fresh  artillery  work,  and  gone  on  after  a 
burst  of  firing  had  sent  machine  gunners  to  cover. 
The  casualty  lists  were  heavy  before  the  new  troops 
learned  to  combine  caution  with  dash.  Patient  tac- 
tics soon  won  wide  success.  Points  were  seized  in 
short  rushes,  battery  work  cooperating.  Positions 

266 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

were  often  gained  by  reaching  communication 
trenches  and  bombing  the  way  until  the  impregnable 
frontal  positions  were  cut  out  and  enveloped. 

The  British  army  had  marched  to  the  Somme  full 
of  confidence.  Each  branch  of  the  service  had  been 
trained  patiently  and  thoroughly.  At  the  first  sig- 
nal, every  unit  went  in  to  win.  Men  showed  bull- 
dog courage ;  they  put  forth  every  ounce  of  weight 
they  had,  to  break  the  German  front.  A  huge  ma- 
chine had  been  assembled,  but  time  and  bitter  losses 
were  required  before  the  various  parts  ran  smoothly. 
Frontal  attacks  were  inevitable ;  but  generally  there 
are  weaker  lines  that  can  be  penetrated  by  pluck, 
and  utilized  for  victory  with  skill  and  patience.  Un- 
til the  practical  Somme  course,  the  general  ten- 
denpy  of  the  British  was  to  advance  too  far  on 
sections  where  an  initial  success  was  won.  Some- 
times big  results  were  gained,  but  keen  judgment 
was  necessary.  The  lesson  cost  thousands  of  lives. 

Under  a  barrage  the  first  line  goes  over  with  the 
bayonet  as  quickly  as  possible.  It  is  supported  with 
a  line  of  bombers  who  can  sense  machine-gun  lairs 
or  stubborn  nests  passed  over  in  the  first  rush  but 
which  may  prove  fatal  for  supports.  These  are 
bombed  out  and  cleared  as  the  second  wave  goes 
across  and  passes  on  to  rebuild  the  first  line,  with 
its  own  bombers  in  support.  Special  clearing  par- 
ties now  sweep  over  the  captured  ground  for  the 
carefully  concealed  traps  and  tunnel  exits  which 

267 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

may  soon  pour  ugly  forces  in  rear.  More  supports 
build  up  the  attacking  line,  and  to  them  falls  the 
important  duty  of  walling  in  salients  and  blocking 
up  flank  approach.  But  bitter  experience  alone  can 
restrain  the  ardor  of  men  bred  with  the  tradition: 
"Up,  Guards,  and  at  them!" 

The  advancing  front  soon  becomes  irregular. 
Stubborn  obstacles  check  the  advance  on  definite  sec- 
tions; the  tide  of  men  flows  forward  on  either  side, 
and  soon  there  is  a  dangerous  gap  or  entrance  down 
which  the  enemy  reserves  can  get  on  the  flanks  or 
rear  of  the  advanced  forces.  At  such  points  the 
captured  sections  of  trenches  must  be  walled  in  and 
guarded,  and  the  salient  reduced  or  cut  off  in  rear  by 
special  tactics.  Bombers  must  always  watch  the 
flanks  of  the  advance  and  wall  in  the  ends  of  any 
trench  section  not  definitely  cleared.  A  few  sand- 
bags in  the  traverse,  with  bombers  and  a  machine 
gun  enfilading  the  position,  may  soon  quiet  the  de- 
termination of  enemy  reserves  which  in  all  assaults 
seek  bypaths  to  get  at  the  rear  of  the  weakened  ad- 
vance lines. 

The  British  lost  more  than  an  army  corps  to  learn 
these  lessons  in  the  first  Somme  period.  Pedantry 
had  established  defined  rules  for  every  emergency, 
but  generals  soon  learned  to  discard  all  peace  theo- 
ries of  modern  warfare,  and  after  early  mistakes 
they  exhibited  fertility  of  resource  and  brilliance  of 
direction.  The  troops  responded,  showing  the  sen- 

268 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

timent  of  respect  and  habit  of  subordination  which 
is  discipline,  coupled  with  high  qualities  of  individu- 
ality and  initiative  which  wrested  success  from  the 
solidly  trained  and  always  courageous  soldiers  of 
Germany. 

On  the  British  right,  the  French  also  made  splen- 
did progress — the  Colonial  Corps  and  the  famous 
Twentieth  Corps,  tipped  by  the  Thirty-ninth  or  Iron 
Division.  These  troops,  brought  specially  from 
Verdun,  had  profited  by  its  lessons  and  its  glories. 
On  the  three-mile  front  north  of  the  Somme  and  to 
Fay  on  the  south,  the  first  line  trenches  were  rapidly 
captured.  These  trained  veterans  gave  a  splendid 
object  lesson  of  the  way  attacks  must  be  delivered. 
First,  irresistible  dash,  then  solid  team  work  with 
every  branch  coordinated.  They  sensed  the  possi- 
bilities and  limitations,  always  ready  to  hold  back 
when  the  guns  should  pave  the  way,  and  to  strike 
without  restraint  at  the  crucial  moment.  In  two 
days  they  had  captured  9,000  prisoners  and  many 
guns.  Curlu  and  Frise  were  taken,  and  below  the 
Somme  the  Germans  were  driven  from  their  second 
line  by  a  dashing  advance  under  Foch's  eye.  The 
troops  tore  over  the  front  trenches  and,  while  sup- 
ports dealt  with  intermediate  points  of  defense,  re- 
enforced  lines  of  assault  swept  to  the  artillery  posi- 
tions, taking  seven  heavy  batteries,  the  field  guns 
escaping  by  a  margin  of  seconds. 

The  French  attack  was  partly  a  surprise.  On 

269 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

July  1,  a  sudden  air  raid  shot  down  fifteen  enemy 
observation  balloons,  and  though  the  Germans 
claimed  mastery  of  the  air,  not  a  single  plane  ven- 
tured to  approach  the  French  lines  that  day.  The 
artillery,  therefore,  had  things  their  own  way.  Five 
different  columns  of  enemy  reinforcements  were 
then  reported,  caught  in  the  open  by  the  heavy  guns, 
and  broken  up.  Definite  periods  of  silence  broken 
by  terrible  rafales  from  the  soixante-quinze  guns 
also  greatly  disconcerted  the  Germans,  whose  com- 
munications here  were  exposed.  Magnificent  air 
photography  was  the  base  of  this  battery  work,  and 
the  enemy's  food  and  ammunition  had  grown  scarce 
before  the  attack  started.  When  the  French  troops 
went  over,  they  swept  all  front  lines,  and  the  second 
line  for  three  miles,  reaching  within  four  miles  of 
Peronne. 

On  the  difficult  British  front,  for  the  first  few  days, 
forty  salients  were  maintained,  like  the  first  grip  of 
teeth  in  jaws  that  were  starting  to  close.  On  the 
north  and  south,  Thiepval  height  was  guarded  by 
huge  redoubts.  After  all  frontal  attacks  had  failed, 
a  sudden  reckless  dash — contrary  to  cautious  tactics 
— pushed  up  from  a  salient  and  maintained  a  wedge 
across  the  rear  of  the  Leipzig  Redoubt.  This 
enabled  troops  below  to  take  Orvillers.  Along  the 
south  front,  a  score  of  minor  salients  were  soon  re- 
duced. When  the  big  gains  here  had  been  consoli- 
dated, the  artillery  closed  in,  and  on  July  7  beauti- 

270 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

fully  planned  attacks  were  delivered  on  three  sides 
of  Contalmaison. 

A  brigade  of  the  Third  Division  Prussian  Guards 
had  just  detrained  to  strengthen  the  garrison.  Un- 
conscious that  a  new  assault  had  started,  they 
marched  down,  singing  a  chorus  which  was  to  prove 
the  Morgenroth  of  many  a  stalwart  soldier,  squarely 
into  the  zones  plotted  for  the  jump  of  the  British 
bombardment  when  the  infantry  attacked.  As  the 
British  leaped  forward  they  saw  that  their  protective 
fire  was  deluging  a  living  target.  After  a  desperate 
fight,  the  depleted  Guards  were  rounded  up  as  pris- 
oners, beaten  in  part  by  a  battalion  of  North  County 
Bantams,  specials  of  the  five-foot  class. 

By  the  afternoon  of  the  10th,  Contalmaison,  very 
strongly  defended,  was  walled  in  on  the  east  and 
west.  A  few  companies  also,  skirting  the  Albert- 
Bapaume  road,  had  crawled  through  the  woods  to  the 
northwest,  where  they  went  nearly  a  mile  across  the 
open  to  reach  upper  approaches  to  the  village. 
When  this  minor  force  charged  down  in  rear,  the 
already  shaken  garrison  turned  and  fled  to  avoid  en- 
velopment. 

On  the  curve,  the  British  center  had  now  a  definite 
grip  on  the  second  main  line,  but  Mametz  Wood  on 
the  right  was  still  strongly  held.  On  July  14, 
France's  day,  the  attack  recommenced.  The  Brit- 
ish right  stormed  Longueval  and  after  2,500  heavy 
shells  had  been  dropped  into  Bazentin  le  Grand, 

271 


UNDER  FOUE  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  gain  was  extended  westward  and  the  line 
joined  to  the  forces  in  Contalmaison.  By  night  the 
ugly  stronghold  of  Bazentin  le  Petit  was  also 
pinched  out.  The  great  second  line  was  now 
breached  for  three  miles  and  hundreds  of  troops  were 
cut  off  and  captured  in  the  wooded  valley  in  the 
south. 

Thousands  of  prisoners  were  taken,  but  many  de- 
tachments retired  to  shell  holes  in  wheat  fields  and 
wired  thickets  in  the  open  country  behind,  and  on 
these  wasp  nests  the  Dragoons  and  Indian  Lancers 
were  loosed.  In  an  old-time  cavalry  charge  the 
troopers  cleared  the  front  and  swept  across  the 
open  until  the  German  artillery  caught  them.  They 
then  sent  their  horses  back  and  dug  in  on  an  ad- 
vance line  which  the  infantry  soon  reached  in  sup- 
port. That  night  the  Germans  withdrew  masses 
of  artillery,  but  threw  heavy  reinforcements  to 
strengthen  their  front  and  join  the  remaining  second 
line  strongholds  to  the  third  line  on  the  high  ground 
before  Courcelette,  Martinpuich,  Flers,  Lesboeufs, 
and  southeast  to  Morval  and  Combles. 

The  new  advance  was  cutting  seriously  in  rear 
of  the  untaken  strongholds  on  the  west  front.  The 
ridge  to  Orvilles  above  the  Amiens-Bapaume  road 
was  captured  from  the  Prussian  Guards  on  the  17th, 
and  on  two  sides  the  British  were  free  to  close  in  on 
Pozieres.  But  German  reserves  were  pouring  up  to 
save  their  threatened  front,  and  for  four  days  they 

272 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

counter  attacked  in  desperation  from  behind  Thiep- 
val,  westward  along  the  line  to  Delville  Wood  and 
around  the  curve  to  Guillemont.  A  week  of  heavy 
rain  also  hampered  the  British  advance  and  made  it 
difficult  to  consolidate  and  supply  the  new  front,  and 
many  exhausted  divisions  were  replaced.  Rawlin- 
son's  forces  were  closed  over  to  the  right  and  the 
Second  Corps  and  First  Anzac  Corps  pushed  up  in 
the  center,  tightening  the  grip  around  Thiepval  and 
covering  the  salient  behind  it  across  the  Albert-Ba- 
paume  road  and  round  the  lower  slopes  of  the  spur 
dominated  by  Pozieres. 

A  melee  of  medieval  ferocity  raged  for  days  in  the 
woods  on  the  right,  where  thousands  fought  in  the 
tangle  with  clubbed  rifles,  bayonets,  and  fists.  In 
spite  of  the  mud,  the  British  artillery  pushed  for- 
ward and  regrouped  in  the  valley  below  Pozieres  and 
on  the  captured  ridges  farther  east.  The  rains 
ended  on  July  22,  and  the  artillery  opened  a  terrific 
bombardment,  new  supplies  enabling  them  to  expend 
half  a  million  shells  a  day  in  the  battle  area.  At 
midnight,  the  bombardment  lifted,  and  a  London 
Territorial  and  Australian  division  jumped  forward 
in  a  surprise  attack  in  the  center,  which  gave  them 
a  wide  section  of  the  general  defense  system  cen- 
tered by  Pozieres — captured  by  clever  cooperation 
of  the  two  forces  in  a  desperate  battle. 

During  a  week  of  glorious  weather,  regardless  of 
losses,  new  German  divisions  and  batteries  were 

273 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

flung  into  the  fray.  Their  impregnable  front  was  in 
jeopardy.  From  the  sea  to  Switzerland  the  Allies 
exerted  a  steady  pressure;  but  unfortunately  they 
had  no  adequate  force  available  for  a  simultaneous 
offensive  at  a  distant  point  in  order  to  divert  enemy 
reserves  which  were  now  pouring  over  from  the  Rus- 
sian front  to  the  Somme  area.  But  the  Australians 
twice  counter  attacked  and  captured  more  elements 
of  the  Pozieres  system.  All  gains  were  held  stub- 
bornly. No  record  can  be  made  of  the  hundred  bat- 
tles that  raged  along  the  line  and  around  the  right 
curve  to  the  French  toward  Hardecourt.  In  many 
sections  when  the  German  Reserves  paused  from 
sheer  exhaustion,  the  British  counter  attacked  and 
made  headway.  Delville  Wood  east  of  Longueval, 
packed  with  dead,  proved  a  debated  point  and 
changed  hands  night  and  day  until  July  29,  when 
it  was  definitely  cleared  out  and  held  by  the  South 
Africans  while  the  Scotch  took  the  high  ground  on 
the  right  above  Guillemont. 

From  these  woods  west  to  Pozieres,  the  captured 
second  line  of  field  works  was  consolidated,  complet- 
ing a  gain  of  thirty  square  miles.  But  the  British 
shells  had  dug  a  mass  of  temporary  defenses  which 
the  enemy  reserves  linked  and  wired  by  night  in  the 
gap  for  which  thousands  of  British  lives  had  been 
sacrificed.  Instead  of  a  great  sweep  forward  to  the 
third  line,  progress  was  therefore  slow  and  costly. 

On  August  4,  in  the  center,  an  Australian  and  a 

274 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

South  England  division  before  Pozieres,  by  a  sur- 
prise assault  after  sunset,  when  "retreat"  had 
sounded,  took  the  dominating  crest  held  by  the  Ninth 
Reserve  Corps.  In  a  sweep  nearly  two  miles  wide 
the  unconquered  section  of  the  second  line  where 
it  crossed  the  backbone  of  the  highest  ridge  and 
trenches,  right  to  the  spur  behind  Thiepval,  was 
captured.  By  moonlight  the  panting  troops  looked 
down  at  last  upon  the  open  country  behind,  across 
the  third  line  which  rested  on  the  farther  edge  of  the 
plateau.  This  vital  gain  was  fruitlessly  counter 
attacked,  and  a  brigade  feeling  for  the  left  of  the  ad- 
vance was  shelled  to  pieces  by  high-angle  fire,  prov- 
ing how  surely  the  grip  had  tightened  behind 
triumphant  Thiepval. 

Though  rain  again  turned  the  churned  dust  to 
swamp,  the  batteries  were  soon  on  the  ridge  for  di- 
rect fire  on  the  massed  German  guns  before  Cource- 
lette  and  Martinpuich.  Generals  Fuchs,  Marschall, 
and  "Kickback"  hurried  to  Prince  Rupprecht;  the 
Headquarters  cars  tore  down  to  observe  and  confer ; 
engineers  arrived  to  plan  laborious  mines  under  the 
position;  Berlin 's  Nachrichtendienst  told  the  world 
that  the  British  advance  ended  in  repulse.  But 
men  and  guns  were  on  the  key  position  of  the  great 
stronghold,  and  the  gunners  tried  to  see  German  time 
on  Bapaume  clock  tower. 

On  the  right  also  the  menace  had  grown.  The 
new  British  front  facing  north  turned  at  a  sharp 

275 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

angle  above  Guillemont  to  join  the  French  army  fac- 
ing east.  Heavy  assaults  were  made  on  both  sides 
of  the  apex  to  break  this  Allied  link.  Night  attacks 
against  the  British  intrenched  in  the  woods  were  led 
by  flame  throwers,  who  scorched  the  faces  off  the 
defenders  as  the  " Stosstruppen"  tried  to  "push" 
through.  Late  in  July  these  attacks  culminated  in 
the  capture  of  many  scorched  and  gassed  troops  who 
were  deliberately  left  foodless  and  unattended,  suf- 
fering horrible  agony  and  exposed  to  artillery  fire 
for  five  days  before  a  British  counter  attack  re- 
covered these  dying  victims  and  eased  their  torture 
with  morphine. 

A  concerted  Anglo-French  movement  was  organ- 
ized to  round  out  the  angle  and  cut  out  the  strong- 
holds of  Combles  in  the  valley  to  the  east  and  Morval 
on  the  ridge  to  the  north,  by  extending  the  British 
line  farther  east  from  Longueval  through  Ginchy, 
and  by  pushing  the  French  left  forward  across  the 
open  ground  before  Maurepas,  then  extending  it 
north  to  join  the  British,  thus  inclosing  the  hostile 
area  and  its  defenders. 

Fayolle  's  army  had  been  making  good  progress  on 
both  sides  of  the  Somme.  South  of  the  river,  Es- 
trees  was  captured,  and  the  line  was  closing  in  on 
Biaches,  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Peronne,  and 
approaching  Belloy  farther  south,  where  Alan  See- 
ger,  the  Harvard  poet,  was  killed,  with  other  Ameri- 
cans of  the  Legion.  North  of  the  Somme,  the  French 

276 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

had  taken  Hem  and  were  approaching  Clery  north- 
west  of  Peronne,  with  their  left  in  touch  with  the 
British  before  Hardecourt. 

On  July  30,  the  French  line  pushed  eastward  on 
the  entire  front.    Their  left  obtained  a  footing  on 


Scale  of  Mllot 


MAP  No.  5.  —  THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE. 

Black  line  shows  original  German  front  attacked  by  British, 
July  1,  1916.  Dotted  line  shows  British  front,  Sept.  18,  1916. 
Line  of  dashes  marks  final  British  gains  and  left  of  French  line 

at  Sailly  Saillisel. 

the  ridge  outside  Maurepas.  Cooperating,  the  Brit- 
ish stormed  Guillemont,  but  were  checked  before 
Ginchy  and  fell  back  with  heavy  loss.  On  August 
7,  Guillemont  was  again  captured  and  the  approaches 
to  Ginchy.  The  Germans  now  brought  up  heavy  bat- 
teries and  fresh  divisions.  They  cut  in  from  the 

277 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Combles  road,  and  flanked  and  enveloped  two  Brit- 
ish battalions  in  the  village.  Forces  also  reached 
for  the  French  flank  and  fought  magnificently  when 
caught  in  a  hopeless  bombardment. 

The  Germans  attached  great  importance  to  the 
Peronne-Bapaume  road ;  they  fought  desperately  to 
hold  this  approach.  But  on  September  3  the  British 
again  took  Guillemont,  buried  two  thousands  of  its 
garrison,  and  held  on  while  rain,  gas  shells,  and 
night  attacks  made  life  a  hell  for  a  week. 

Then  the  peerless  Irish  Division — Nationalists 
and  Ulster  Orangemen — raced  for  the  latent 
strength  of  Ginchy,  still  defiant  after  six  weeks  '  bat- 
tle. Its  defense  had  cost  the  British  heavily,  but 
the  Irish  brigades  won  the  final  honors  after  a  des- 
perate rough-and-tumble  fight  in  the  cellars  and 
trenches  on  the  top  of  the  main  ridge.  There  was 
no  long  wait.  The  French  had  been  fighting  stead- 
ily eastward.  The  First  Infantry  won  the  Croix  de 
Guerre  by  storming  Maurepas ;  the  Guillemont  road 
was  cleared  up  and  they  could  now  extend  their  front 
northward  up  the  valley  east  of  Combles,  while  Baw- 
linson's  forces  fought  eastward  through  Ginchy  to 
the  edge  of  the  Morval  plateau.  Again  the  French 
advanced  on  their  entire  front,  their  left  approach- 
ing Raucourt  and  capturing  Bouchavesne  from  the 
Westphalians  on  the  Peronne-Bapaume  road. 

On  September  26,  the  battle  for  Combles  was 
started  unexpectedly  when  reserves  from  Morval  at- 

278 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

tempted  to  prevent  the  English  and  French  lines 
from  finally  closing  in  a  rectangle  on  the  heights 
above  the  town.  Fighting  developed  in  the  valleys 
on  both  sides  of  Combles,  and  just  before  dark  its 
defenders  weakened.  A  patrol  led  by  Ernest  Wal- 
dron  of  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  found  a  way  in.  He 
guided  the  column  to  the  center  of  the  town.  An- 
other party  approached  with  bayonets  ready.  A 
challenge  broke  the  tension  and  French  and  British 
clasped  hands,  having  unconsciously  effected  the 
angle  of  envelopment  long  fought  for.  Farther 
north,  two  English  regiments,  hearing  the  rush  of 
the  retreating  garrison,  went  over  without  formation 
and  caught  most  of  them. 

But  the  widening  of  the  angle  of  the  Franco-Brit- 
ish liaison  which  had  started  this  joint  movement  had 
become  secondary  during  the  march  of  events. 
South  of  the  Somme,  the  French  had  made  such 
amazing  progress  that  General  Micheler  had  brought 
the  Tenth  Army  to  extend  the  offensive  south  from 
Barleux  to  Chilly.  The  front  south  of  the  river 
moved  eastward  in  pace  with  the  line  to  the  north 
until  it  pushed  across  the  railroad  from  Peronne  to 
Roye  and  got  near  the  main  road  to  Roye  and  Noyon. 
When  the  forces  fighting  on  the  north  bank  reached 
the  Bapaume  road,  they  were  within  range  of  Mt. 
St.  Quentin,  due  north  of  and  protecting  Peronne, 
which  now  became  the  French  objective.  On  both 
banks  of  the  river  there  was  terrific  fighting. 

279 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Haig  now  lost  no  time  in  striking  a  wide  blow 
to  sweep  the  Germans  right  off  the  ridge  from  be- 
hind Thiepval  eastward  across  to  Morval  on  the 
third  line,  and  capturing  the  strongholds  on  lower 
ground  behind  it.  The  guns  had  not  rested  since 
the  second  line  was  breached.  September  15  gave 
the  triumphant  climax  to  ten  weeks  of  desperate 
effort. 

The  men  went  over  the  top  at  6 :30  A.  M.,  a  phalanx 
of  six  miles  against  the  formidable  and  greatly 
strengthened  defenses,  and  losses  were  heavy. 
Then,  as  an  experiment,  new  types  of  armored  cars, 
or  moving  fortins,  the  famous  tanks,  were  tested. 
Four  lines  of  trenches  had  been  stormed,  but  a  forti- 
fied sugar  factory  held  up  the  left  below  Cource- 
lette.  The  first  tank  in  action — christened  Creme 
de  Menthe — now  lumbered  forward.  The  steel  tor- 
toise crawled  to  the  factory,  crushed  out  the  machine 
guns,  and  the  infantry  dashed  up  and  captured  the 
garrison.  Other  deadly  points  were  rolled  out,  and 
the  monster,  passing  over  trenches,  led  the  infantry 
to  Courcelette,  turned  its  guns  at  the  cellar  defenses, 
and  met  and  stopped  reinforcements  hurrying  to 
the  village.  By  9  P.M.  the  great  stronghold  was 
subdued.  Other  tanks  waddled  serenely  across  the 
deadly  open  ground  on  the  plateau  at  Martinpuich, 
Daphne,  and  Delysia,  crushed  out  a  row  of  spouting 
machine  guns  as  the  troops  charged  across,  and  be- 
fore sunset  this  great  tangle  of  defenses  was  taken. 

280 


THE  SOMMB  OFFENSIVE 

"  Vulcan's  Joy  Rides"  was  the  slogan.  And  on  the 
right  above  Ginchy,  the  British,  after  a  bitter  strug- 
gle, swarmed  over  the  ridge  to  the  open,  field  bat- 
teries and  cavalry  advancing  at  the  gallop  toward 
Guillemont. 


MAP  No.  6. — THE  TANGLE  OF  GERMAN  DEFENSES  SURROUNDING 

THIEPVAL. 

In  the  center,  on  the  eastern  front,  only  a  mass  of 
woods  remained  untaken.  For  ten  uneventful  days 
fighting  raged.  Guards  met  Guards;  the  tanks 
crawled  out;  salients  were  straightened,  while  the 
rains  descended,  drowning  many  wounded  in  the 
shell  holes.  Then  the  line  went  forward  again,  an- 
other clear  sweep  that  took  Guedecourt,  Lcsboeufs, 

281 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

and  Morval;  and  many  German  guns  were  moved 
back  while  machine  guns  played  at  rear  guard  and 
balked  the  expectant  British  cavalry. 

Now  Thiepval,  the  sullen,  western  sentinel  of  the 
plateau,  was  doomed.  Pulverized  masonry  marked 
the  village,  the  center  of  four  crossroads.  But  the 
gloomy  hog's-back,  bristled  by  charred  stumps,  had 
resisted  all  attacks  and  stood  unconquered  under 
hundreds  of  tons  of  shells.  The  height  was  a  rabbit 
warren,  tunneled  in  all  directions  and  dominating  an 
amazing  field  of  fire.  When  approached,  bristling 
with  guns,  it  resounded  like  a  huge  steel  structure 
clamped  by  a  thousand  riveting  machines.  There 
was  no  dashing  assault  at  the  last.  Its  resistance 
was  gradually  squeezed  out  after  weeks  of  costly 
advance,  and  its  garrison,  strong  in  the  belief  of 
their  impregnability,  fought  like  cornered  rats. 

The  end  came  on  September  26.  The  attackers 
closed  in  persistently,  subduing  dugouts  with  bombs ; 
while  machine  guns  came  up  like  Jacks-in-Boxes, 
took  their  toll,  and  disappeared.  There  seemed  no 
key  to  the  main  underground  system  until  a  tank 
lumbered  along  half  a  mile  of  redoubt  and  suddenly 
crashed  through  the  roof  of  its  parallel  tunnel.  Its 
crew  were  killed,  but  men  with  bombs  poured  in  the 
hole.  Bullets  spouted  up  the  dark  corridors,  and 
only  the  saving  quality  of  mercy  spared  any  of  the 
garrison,  as  gas  fumes  and  smoke  seemed  the  only 
remedy  when  the  inmates  refused  to  surrender. 

282 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

A  second  way  was  found  to  the  underground  vaults 
in  which  men  fought,  stabbed,  and  wrestled  in  hellish 
darkness  until  the  garrison  was  overcome.  A  thou- 
sand men  were  captured,  but  some  escaped  by  an- 
other tunnel  to  the  Schwaben  Redoubt  farther 
north. 

There  were  still  great  redoubts  on  the  northwest 
of  the  ridge,  and  Beaumont  Hamel  above  it  over- 
looking the  bend  of  the  Ancre.  But  the  British  had 
smashed  in  over  the  lower  curve  of  the  bulge  to  a 
depth  of  six  miles  on  a  front  of  eight — a  definite 
breach  of  the  solidly  fortified  German  front.  The 
winning  of  the  third  line  was  a  stupendous  achieve- 
ment, because  in  two  days  of  frontal  attack  with 
perfect  cooperation,  a  position,  on  which  every  avail- 
able gun  and  man  could  be  crowded,  was  cleared 
in  its  entirety.  It  cost  thousands  of  lives,  but  it 
swept  the  ridges  clear  and  gave  the  British  domi- 
nating artillery  positions  as  they  swept  on  to  the 
open  valleys  beyond,  and  it  wrote  Defeat  across  the 
most  formidable  barrier  of  defense  constructed  by 
Germany  to  hold  the  western  front — negativing 
twenty  months  of  herculean  labor. 

But  the  vision  that  many  had  of  the  rapid  advance 
of  a  victorious  army  through  the  breach  to  impose 
a  Sedan  on  the  forces  of  defense,  and  reestablish 
strategic  initiative  in  open  country,  faded  as  the 
Germans  demonstrated  their  ability  to  link  up  shell 
craters  over  night  for  delaying  actions  and  to  dot 

283 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

their  machine  guns  over  miles  of  improvised  de- 
fenses blasted  by  hostile  artillery.  Even  naval  divi- 
sions came  down  to  help  Kupprecht's  forces.  But 
had  there  been  a  longer  period  of  fine  weather,  no 
hasty  system  could  long  have  withstood  the  pressure 
that  had  broken  through  that  front. 

Early  storms  of  snow  and  sleet  converted  the 
ground  into  a  morass  and  proved  a  great  relief  to 
the  German  Staff,  while  the  British  toiled  to  get  guns 
to  the  crest  of  the  defensive  backbone  which  had  cost 
them  nearly  300,000  men.  In  October,  the  British 
captured  Beaumont  Hamel,  a  naval  division  request- 
ing the  honor  of  storming  its  ravine  and  trench 
strongholds  on  the  Ancre.  This  widened  the  gap. 
Picked  forces  also  made  a  huge  sweep  and  carried 
the  front  forward  to  three  miles  southwest  of  Ba- 
paume.  Fine  weather  was  needed,  however,  to 
maintain  a  steady  advance.  The  snow  caught  a  huge 
army  camped  in  the  open  and  delayed  the  fruits  of 
the  enterprise  while  the  troops  prepared  winter 
quarters.  But  Bapaume  was  doomed. 

Winter  also  deferred  the  wonderful  French  ad- 
vance against  the  linked  defenses  of  von  Ermolli  and 
von  Gamier.  On  October  18,  their  left  wing  took 
the  heights  of  Sailly  Saillisel,  and  made  good  on  the 
ridges  running  north  from  Peronne.  South  of  the 
Somme,  the  army  had  closed  within  range  of  its 
southern  approaches,  and  its  right  had  cut  important 
roads  from  St.  Quentin.  By  their  skillful  tactics  of 

284 


THE  SOMME  OFFENSIVE 

penetration  and  envelopment  the  French  made  large 
hauls  in  guns  and  prisoners. 

During  1916,  the  total  prisoners  of  the  French 
army  were  78,592.  They  had  completely  destroyed 
416  aeroplanes  and  forced  down  195.  The  British 
during  the  year  took  40,578  prisoners.  On  the 
Somme,  the  Allies  jointly  captured  1,449  officers  and 
71,532  men ;  130  heavy  howitzers,  173  guns,  215  mor- 
tars, and  987  machine  guns,  and  had  engaged  38  Ger- 
man divisions. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  HINDENBURG  LINE 

"CALIGULA!"  remarked  a  tourist.  "No,  Cali- 
ban I ' '  said  his  friend,  commenting  on  the  gross  bulk 
of  a  man  seldom  absent  from  or  abstemious  at  a  fa- 
mous German  tavern.  The  war  sent  him  to  Russia 
where  he  won  a  great  victory  against  a  line  of  five 
men  per  rifle,  and  the  Hindenburg  legend  grew 
through  the  days  the  wooden  effigy  was  hammered 
full  of  nails  for  charity.  The  Somme  failure  needed 
changes  at  the  top,  radical  and  popular,  so  with  Lu- 
dendorff  as  brain,  Hindenburg,  the  ruthless,  assumed 
absolute  command,  upset  the  Navy  to  the  edge  of  re- 
volt, organized  the  full  national  power  for  war  serv- 
ice and  gained  a  strategic  waiting  reserve  of  a  mil- 
lion. The  Somme  threat  had  to  be  met.  But  the 
tourist  was  wrong — the  beer  drinker  was  Attila,  the 
Hun,  a  reversion  to  type.  To  him  age,  sex  and  law 
of  war  did  not  exist — military  prisoners  and  civilians 
were  impressed  by  thousands  and  lashed  as  a  great 
human  plow  to  excavate  deep  defenses  on  a  new  line 
to  modify  the  front.  And  on  the  thousand  square 
miles  before  it — devastation.  "Where  my  horse 
passes  the  grass  will  never  growl" 

286 


THE  HINDENBURG  LINE 

The  winter,  too,  had  been  busy  for  the  Allies  on 
the  old  front,  with  fierce  fighting  January  11,  and 
on  all  subsequent  fronts  by  the  British,  who  had 
started  too  late  in  1916  and  now  were  to  finish  the 
task.  But  their  Somme  activity  masked  prepara- 
tion for  as  great  a  blow  farther  north. 

For  two  weeks,  in  February,  rain,  snow,  and  fog 
spoiled  air  visibility,  but  patrols  sensed  an  increas- 
ing nervousness  on  the  German  front.  Shells  of 
heavy  caliber  ceased,  and  on  the  25th  a  raiding  party 
found  the  trenches  beyond  Serre  unoccupied.  On 
the  Ancre  front  the  infantry  at  once  went  across  the 
intervening  slime,  to  find  that  thirty  square  miles — 
the  angle  above  Thiepval,  pressed  from  the  west  and 
south — had  been  evacuated. 

Feeling  attacks  on  the  Somme  front  encountered 
heavy  machine-gun  fire.  By  the  middle  of  March 
the  ground  was  passable.  The  British  army  closed 
forward  from  the  west  toward  Bapaume  on  the  15th, 
to  meet  a  nominal  resistance  except  at  Tries  west  of 
Serre,  where  a  switch  trench  protected  the  railway 
junction  at  Achiet.  Though  the  German  press  was 
jeering  the  British  for  their  failure  to  break  through, 
the  staff  had  appraised  the  menace.  Hindenburg 
was  in  the  saddle  to  rejuvenate  a  discouraged  army, 
and  drastic  strategy  was  to  save  the  situation.  We 
had  known  during  the  winter  that  the  population  in 
the  invaded  territory  was  being  dragged  into  slav- 
ery to  work  on  the  German  lines.  Contrary  to  con- 

287 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

vention,  thousands  of  military  prisoners  were  also 
forced  to  this  labor,  where  they  were  starved,  beaten, 
and  exposed  to  shell  fire.  Early  Allied  activity  tore 
the  mask  off  the  surprise  before  it  was  completed. 
Germany  was  preparing  to  step  back  from  the  pres- 
sure to  a  straighter  reserve  line  which  had  been  built 
from  seven  to  twenty-five  miles  behind  the  original 
curving  front  pushed  westward  between  Arras  and 
Soissons. 

There  was  to  be  no  collapse  on  the  old  front. 
Numerous  outpost  lines  were  prepared,  and  the 
Allies  were  to  be  lured  eastward  from  their  strong 
positions.  Beyond  the  protection  of  their  artillery, 
and  backed  by  the  desolate  waste  of  the  battle  area, 
they  were  to  be  punished  in  the  open,  enticed  by 
rear-guard  actions  to  the  range  of  new  artillery,  and 
allowed  to  approach  the  impregnable  Hindenburg 
line  with  the  maximum  of  loss  and  discomfort.  Hun- 
dreds of  batteries  of  six-inch  guns  had  been  con- 
structed— a  medium  artillery  which  would  comprise 
caliber  and  mobility. 

The  spring  plans  of  the  Allies  embraced  Joffre's 
aim  for  a  simultaneous  offensive  on  two  fronts.  On 
March  3,  the  French  Armies  of  the  Somme  had  gone 
south  to  the  concentration  on  the  Aisne,  while  the 
British  took  over  the  front  to  Nesle  due  west  of  St. 
Quentin,  and  resumed  their  drive  west.  But  prep- 
arations were  also  made  for  a  strong  offensive  in 
Artois  to  gain  Lens  and  clear  Arras  while  the  French 

288 


THE  HINDENBUEG  LINE 

Army  drove  north  on  the  other  front.  The  British 
also  relieved  the  Belgian  army  from  Dixmude  to  the 
sea.  Yet  Hindenburg's  plan  was  to  defer  Allied 
action  in  1917. 

On  March  17,  the  fog  lifted,  and  as  the  British 
guns  opened,  huge  columns  of  smoke  were  seen  in 
Bapaume  and  Peronne.  Troops  pushed  forward, 
and  found  the  cities  wrecked  and  evacuated  except  by 
rear  guards,  easily  repulsed.  Bapaume  was  taken, 
and  Peronne  occupied  next  day.  Below  St.  Quentin 
the  French  found  Eoye,  Noyon,  and  other  places  in 
flames,  and  their  front  opposed  by  strong  rear 
guards.  Both  armies  pushed  forward  cautiously 
and  ignored  the  incentive  to  pursue  the  fleeing  army. 
Cavalry  patrols  and  infantry  screens  felt  the  way 
and  developed  ground  mines  and  ambuscades — Pan- 
zerkraftwagen,  fast  lorries  with  machine  guns,  and 
Fussartillerie  with  extra  horses  holding  promising 
points.  But  these  took  meager  toll  from  the  cau- 
tious skirmish  lines,  and  cleared  off  up  the  roads 
when  pressure  developed,  plowing  up  the  roads  and 
bridges  as  they  retreated.  The  entire  territory  be- 
fore the  Hindenburg  line  was  ruthlessly  devastated 
to  make  it  a  waterless  glacis  of  destruction — "the 
Realm  of  Death." 

History  affords  few  examples  of  such  methodical 
spoliation  and  no  record  to  approach  the  filthy 
grossness  which  tainted  the  work.  In  November,  the 
Germans  started  the  destruction  of  trees.  By  Jan- 

289 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

uary,  houses,  churches,  and  public  buildings  were 
mined.  Hamlets  and  small  houses  everywhere  were 
burned.  On  February  10,  catalogues  of  every  article 
of  value  were  checked,  and  the  wholesale  looting  was 
systematized.  Baron  von  Hadelhn  supervised  the 
official  seizure  of  important  art  treasures  and  an- 
tiques for  Germany,  including  the  Latour  pastels  of 
St.  Quentin.  Then  the  rest  was  divided,  and  demoli- 
tion patrols  started.  All  wells  were  unprintably  de- 
filed, roads  and  bridges  were  mined,  and  fuel  stacked 
in  large  buildings.  Some  stained  glass  was  re- 
moved from  the  churches;  the  rest  was  pulverized. 
Altars  were  torn  down,  sacred  vessels  looted,  and 
the  walls  dynamited.  Cottages  were  pulled  down 
by  horses,  while  their  owners  wept. 

On  signal,  at  3 :00  A.  M.,  March  17 — Hail,  German 
system ! — thousands  of  waiting  men  finished  the  de- 
struction. Charges  were  exploded,  fires  lit,  and  at 
six  o'clock  all  but  rear  guards  marched  east.  Pe- 
ronne  was  a  shell;  Bapaume,  a  sad  ruin.  Chauny 
was  utterly  destroyed,  its  people  left  standing  in  the 
open  behind  the  outposts,  and  many  died  before 
rescue.  Noyon  was  looted,  but  suffered  less;  the 
cathedral  was  left  standing,  but  even  the  bronze 
Christ  was  torn  from  the  cross  and  carried  off, 
with  the  organ,  bells,  and  images.  Two  chapels  were 
befouled  and  mottoed  in  the  frequent  type  of  German 
humor.  Nesle  was  saved  by  British  cavalry  who 
caught  the  incendiary  squads  red-handed,  while 

290 


THE  HINDENBURG  LINE 

French  troopers  rode  round  and  took  three  batteries 
there  as  they  retreated.  Eoye  was  only  looted  and 
a  few  landmarks  burned.  These  three  larger  towns 
were  well  west  and  had  to  be  evacuated  hurriedly 
under  Allied  pressure.  Villages  were  burned  in 
hundreds. 

Only  45,052  of  the  inhabitants  were  left,  ragged 
and  starving  among  their  ruined  homes.  Their 
money  was  taken,  and  all  supplies  left  by  the  Ameri- 
can Belief  Commission.  All  women  from  sixteen 
to  thirty-five  were  carried  off,  ostensibly  to  labor, 
but  the  world  will  gasp  with  horror  when  the  full 
story  is  written.  Hundreds  of  young  girls  had  been 
debauched  by  officers,  and  these  pitiful  victims  were 
then  by  unwritten  law  the  property  of  the  soldiers. 
Special  houses  of  ill-fame,  legally  controlled,  were 
filled  by  the  victims  of  vicious  orgies.  Hungry  and 
unprotected,  other  women  became  victims  to  condi- 
tions. In  many  outlying  strongholds  girls  were 
kept  caged — white  slaves  maintained  for  the  garri- 
son. Ask  the  American  women  who  with  gas  masks 
went  under  shell  fire  and  took  away  convoys  of  the 
homeless  women  and  children.  They  know  details 
of  the  awful  story. 

On  the  Oise,  many  stately  homes  were  destroyed 
and  historic  mausoleums  wrecked.  In  one  case  a 
fifteenth  century  metal  coffin  was  forced  open  and 
shockingly  defiled,  with  the  inevitable  "joke" 
chalked  on  it.  At  Coucy  le  Chateau,  near  the  Oise, 

291 


•UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  world's  most  perfect  feudal  castle — carefully 
preserved  for  centuries  from  time's  erosion — was 
utterly  destroyed. 

Von  Fleck  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  before  he 
retired  to  St.  Quentin,  ordered  the  loading  of  all 
antique  furniture  and  paintings  from  the  country 
house  which  he  had  made  his  headquarters.  The 
owners  were  present.  The  last  days  were  a  con- 
tinued orgy  in  all  the  territory.  Murder  was  fre- 
quent. Scores  of  officers  quartered  in  well-known 
houses  raped  the  women  of  the  household  the  night 
they  left. 

On  the  night  of  April  2nd  in  Washington,  while 
the  President  was  declaring  war,  dawn  was  breaking 
in  France,  and  long-range  British  guns  were  already 
sending  the  first  shots  at  actual  points  of  the  boasted 
line.  These  facts  reached  Berlin  simultaneously — 
the  United  States  had  come  in.  The  elastic  strategy 
of  Hindenburg  had  failed  utterly!  The  British 
were  preparing  early  breakfast  on  the  last  outpost 
lines;  they  had  taken  Doignies  and  Croiselles,  and 
their  right  was  only  two  miles  from  St.  Quentin.  On 
a  wide  front,  the  Germans  were  pouring  back  to 
the  Hindenburg  line.  Before  Noreuil,  two  British 
companies  pursued  too  closely.  They  were  cut  off, 
captured,  and  deliberately  driven  to  the  fire  of  their 
own  guns  by  the  exasperated  enemy. 

In  two  weeks  the  Allies  had  surmounted  all  ob- 
structions. Bridges  and  roads  had  been  restored, 

292 


THE  HINDENBUEG  LINE 

and  on  the  front  of  one  hundred  miles  they  had 
pushed  the  rear  guards  eastward.  The  British, 
from  five  miles  south  of  Arras  to  St.  Quentin,  the 
French  continuing  the  line  to  the  Aisne,  had  ad- 
vanced far  too  rapidly  for  Hindenburg's  plan  to  de- 
velop. The  armies  that  were  to  gain  "voluntary 
elasticity"  to  force  the  Allies  to  flounder  over  the 
glacis  of  destruction  were  being  pushed  to  cover  in 
the  magic  line  itself.  The  devastation  of  the  area 
had  proved  wanton  and  barren  of  military  result. 
And  the  plea  of  shortening  the  linef  The  saving 
was  twenty-one  miles.  The  Somme  offensive  had 
forced  Germany  to  yield  1,300  square  miles  of 
French  territory,  with  315  towns  and  important  vil- 
lages; but  in  retaliation  some  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful districts  in  France  had  been  converted  into  a 
desert. 

"Les  Picards  ont  la  tete  chaude!"  is  a  proverb 
that  Germany  will  have  cause  to  remember  when  the 
Picardy  divisions  go  into  action.  The  sturdy  me- 
tayers of  the  devastated  arrondissements  will  re- 
store the  countryside.  But  they  will  never  forgive 
the  treatment  of  their  women. 

^When  the  French  and  British  linked  their  lines 
around  the  suburbs  of  St.  Quentin,  fires  and  explo- 
sions showed  that  the  work  of  destruction  had 
started  there.  But  the  guns  of  the  Allies  were  too 
close  to  be  used  without  damaging  the  city — senti- 

293 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ment  won  a  partial  respite,  and  the  enemy  retained 
his  hold. 

On  April  9,  Haig's  blow  above  Arras  fell — nine 
hours  after  Hindenburg  had  declared  to  the  world 
that  his  new  defense  system  was  impregnable — his 
apologia,  when  the  Allies  had  so  rapidly  pushed  up  to 
it. 

The  Hindenburg  line  was  the  generic  term  for  the 
new  defense  system  across  France  along  the  edge  of 
the  devastated  area.  Starting  from  the  Aisne  pla- 
teau at  right  angles  to  the  southern  front,  with  strong 
protective  positions  six  miles  northeast  of  Soissons 
to  guard  the  junction,  the  main  section  ran  due  north 
across  the  forests  west  of  Laon  behind  La  Fere, 
where  the  Oise  locks  were  broken  and  the  district 
before  it  flooded.  Using  the  river  as  a  moat,  the 
line  was  continued  along  the  Oise  behind  St.  Quen- 
tin,  with  the  city's  circle  of  defenses  as  an  outpost, 
to  Queant  ten  miles  west  of  Cambrai.  From  this 
point,  the  upper  section,  or  switch  line,  ran  directly 
northeast  across  the  Somme  Department,  crossing 
four  miles  east  of  Arras  to  the  end  of  the  Vimy 
Ridge,  where  it  joined  the  original  strong  line  before 
Lens  across  Belgium.  Forking  from  the  main  Sieg- 
fried system  near  Queant,  behind  this  upper  oblique 
barrier,  the  Wotan  reserve  line  was  in  course  of 
construction  straight  north  to  Drocourt,  linking  there 
with  the  existing  reserve  line  built  before  the  cities 
of  Lille,  Eoubaix,  and  Tourcoing. 

294 


GERMAN  TREXCUKS  AFTER  THE  BRITISH  BOMBARDMENT 


THE  HINDENBURG  LINE 

The  upper  section  of  the  new  system  was  not  com- 
pleted when  Haig  struck  at  an  unexpected  moment. 
And  the  assault  holds  the  record  for  results  achieved 
in  a  single  day.  The  first  attack  was  most  heavy 
on  a  twelve-mile  front  below  Lens  to  the  southern 
suburbs  of  Arras.  On  the  north,  the  army  of  Gen- 
eral Horn — the  Canadian  Corps,  and  mixed  English 
and  Scottish  divisions — was  holding  the  Souchez 
front,  where  sixty  thousand  French  graves  marked 
the  futile  effort  to  break  the  Artois  barrier  before 
big  guns  had  been  provided.  The  Vimy  Eidge — the 
Gibraltar  of  Artois — 482  feet  high — was  the  barrier 
to  the  plain  of  Douai  and  its  junction  of  eight 
strategic  railroads. 

Aided  by  a  strong  bombardment  and  the  element 
of  surprise,  and  screened  by  a  blinding  snowstorm, 
sixteen  Canadian  battalions  stormed  the  steep  face 
of  Vimy.  On  an  exact  model  of  the  ground  each 
phase  of  the  attack  had  been  rehearsed.  Successive 
lines  swept  over  the  ridge,  and,  pivoting  on  the  left, 
rolled  up  the  massive  defensive  system.  So  rapidly 
were  the  troops  over  the  first  line  that  they  kicked 
the  machine  guns  aside,  and  bayoneted  the  aston- 
ished gunners.  Following  a  perfect  barrage,  they 
swept  the  Germans  practically  off  the  ridge  and  in- 
trenched without  a  pause.  The  American  battalion 
took  part  in  the  assault  and  many  were  killed.  The 
batteries  were  abandoned  when  German  resistance 
collapsed.  Through  perfect  artillery  and  infantry 

295 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

cooperation,   three    strong   lines   were   rolled   up. 

Before  Arras,  where  the  rival  lines  ran  through 
opposite  cellars  in  the  same  streets,  the  British 
swarmed  up  ladders,  tore  across  regardless  of  losses, 
and  deluged  the  enemy  with  bombs.  Supports  then 
swarmed  beyond  the  city,  stormed  the  second  line, 
captured  the  forts  holding  the  railroad  junction, 
and  dug  in  two  miles  eastward. 

On  April  11,  the  wings  of  the  assault  extended  to 
a  fifty-mile  front  from  Loos  to  the  Bapaume-Cam- 
brai  road.  A  mine  was  exploded  under  the  Hohen- 
zollern  Redoubt,  and  the  lines  were  advanced  toward 
Lens.  At  Vimy  Ridge,  the  Guard  Reserve  was  form- 
ing for  another  counter  attack  on  the  northern  end 
where  the  enemy  retained  a  high  spur — Hill  145, 
"the  Pimple."  A  short  deluge  of  shells  broke  their 
formation;  "the  Pimple"  was  captured  and  the  be- 
wildered Guards  were  partly  enveloped  and  made 
prisoners. 

When  the  Canadians  had  captured  Vimy,  the 
strongest  natural  element  of  the  first  barrier  was 
cut  out  and  the  flank  of  the  new  oblique  Queant- 
Arras  line  was  exposed.  The  outpost  positions  east 
of  Arras  were  quickly  stormed  as  the  battle  spread. 
Hindenburg's  sphere  of  elasticity  was  gone,  and  on 
the  entire  front  the  enemy  was  on  the  defensive,  on 
the  breached  line  itself. 

The  First  British  Army  under  General  Horn,  oper- 
ating from  La  Bassee  to  the  Arras  front,  made 

296 


THE  HINDENBUEG  LINE 

steady  progress.  On  the  left,  Midland  troops 
cleared  the  Loos  sectors  and  fought  their  way  toward 
Lens.  In  two  days  guns  were  ready  on  the  Vimy 
Eidge,  and  the  Canadian  Corps  and  the  troops  on 
their  right  debouched  to  the  plains  of  Gohelle  below, 
advanced  three  miles  eastward,  and  captured  both 
the  Vimys,  Ginchy,  and  Willerval,  all  being  fever- 
ishly fortified  when  taken.  By  the  evening  of  April 
13,  the  British  front  for  twelve  miles  was  consoli- 
dated across  the  roads  to  Lens  and  Douai.  The  next 
day  the  left  wing  captured  Lieven — a  twin  coal  town 
of  Lens — with  many  prisoners,  carloads  of  supplies, 
much  ammunition,  and  big  naval  guns.  The  spoil 
included  mines  that  were  able  to  produce  one  million 
tons  a  year  for  Germany's  coal-tar  explosives. 

The  left  was  soon  fighting  furiously  in  a  semi- 
circle in  the  actual  suburbs  of  Lens,  where  scores  of 
slag-heaps  had  been  cored  with  cement  and  linked 
as  fortifications.  Explosions  soon  proved  that  the 
enemy  was  destroying  the  mines  there,  making  their 
prize  coal  district  valueless  to  hold. 

The  Third  Army  under  Allenby,  operating  before 
Arras  along  the  Scarpe,  was  also  making  progress. 
In  the  flat  land  four  miles  east  of  the  city  the  main 
line  of  defense  was  protected  by  a  wide  area  of 
small  triple-storied  underground  forts — concrete 
with  steel  cupolas.  A  triumph  of  military  engineer- 
ing, a  subject  in  German  textbooks,  this  amazing  bar- 
rier in  the  Hindenburg  system  was  bombarded, 

297 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

breached,  stormed,  and  entirely  captured  with  its 
artillery  and  mass  of  machine  guns,  by  the  12th. 
Farther  south,  Fampoux  was  taken  and  a  gap  made 
above  the  great  natural  rampart  of  Monchy — a  skill- 
fully fortified  hill  holding  the  national  highway  to 
Cambrai  from  Arras.  It  was  flanked,  then  tanked 
and  captured  by  a  frontal  attack.  The  tanks  made 
short  work  of  Hindenburg's  dense  new  wire  rows, 
300  feet  deep,  and  the  troops  followed  them  through. 
The  garrison  fought  to  the  last,  but  the  gain  was 
held. 

For  the  first  time,  the  German  front  was  definitely 
breached.  This  was  the  type  of  gap  dreamed  of  by 
the  earlier  strategists.  It  afforded  the  clearest  op- 
portunity during  the  war  to  push  the  battle  to  the 
open,  to  fling  an  army  through  in  a  hazardous  bid  for 
a  degree  of  strategic  initiative.  But  the  forces  on 
the  spot  were  exhausted  by  incessant  fighting,  cul- 
minating in  a  desperate  battle  of  three  days  and 
nights.  The  flanks  had  to  be  rolled  up  and  consoli- 
dated, the  commands  reorganized.  Many  units  were 
shattered ;  the  loss  in  officers  had  been  high.  When 
the  Staff  realized  that  a  great  success  was  impend- 
ing, they  called  up  cavalry  and  fresh  batteries,  in 
reserve  at  distant  points,  and  they  were  ready  when 
the  breach  was  practicable.  Masses  of  cavalry 
poured  through  and  charged  the  enemy  reserves  as 
they  advanced  at  the  double.  Horse  and  field  bat- 
teries galloped  out  and  came  into  action  in  the  open, 

298 


THE  HINDENBUEG  LINE 

and  thousands  of  prisoners  were  taken.  To  avoid 
capture,  the  German  batteries  moved  south  to  the 
unbroken  section,  but  many  guns  were  taken  and 
communications  raided  over  a  wide  area.  A  tank 
went  four  miles  up  the  road  to  Cambrai,  and  on  side 
roads  found  bewildered  supply  columns  which  the 
cavalry  soon  captured.  In  the  distance,  the  tank 
shot  at  pioneers  working  complacently  on  the  reserve 
line  which  "  might  be  needed  in  1918." 

The  day  was  waning,  the  horses  had  been  pushed 
to  the  limit,  and  there  was  no  water  available.  Many 
fell  exhausted,  and  the  enormous  possibilities  for  a 
hazardous  incursion  were  curtailed  by  thirst  and 
darkness.  The  tired  horses  had  to  go  three  miles 
for  adequate  water. 

Hope  ran  high  for  a  resumption  of  the  big  advance 
at  daybreak.  But  the  Allies  were  now  to  feel  the 
blasting  effect  of  Russia's  failure.  By  mobilizing 
every  available  man — including  the  1918  youths — 
and  free  from  anxiety  for  the  Eastern  front,  Hin- 
denburg  had  built  up  enormous  strategic  reserves 
which  were  entirely  available  for  the  west.  Half  a 
million  fresh  troops  poured  to  the  southern  front  to 
help  check  the  victorious  French.  The  loss  of  Vimy 
had  called  many  thousands  more,  and  en  route  forty 
train  loads  were  diverted  that  night  to  Cambrai  and 
flung  out  before  the  serious  gap  at  Monchy.  The 
first  battalions  had  marched  over  and  scratched  light 
trench  lines  under  fire.  Their  captured  orders 

299 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

stated  that  any  man  who  fell  back  would  be  shot. 

The  British  cavalry  went  out  at  daylight  and  made 
some  progress,  but  it  was  soon  forced  to  fight  dis- 
mounted, backed  by  infantry.  The  batteries  took 
awful  toll  of  the  exposed  defenders  in  the  open, 
but  were  soon  answered  by  new  long-range  guns  and 
clouds  of  troops.  Under  shell  fire,  in  three  days,  the 
Germans  dug  before  Monchy  gap  a  triple  line  of 
trenches  7,000  yards  long.  The  hazardous  oppor- 
tunity to  push  in  behind  the  lines  had  passed,  through 
the  fortune  of  war,  or  the  failure  of  an  overworked 
staff  to  provide  water  for  an  unexpected  contingency. 
The  care  taken  by  the  British  artillery  to  spare  the 
church  at  Monchy  is  a  hitherto  unpublished  inci- 
dent. Machine  guns,  thereby  left  untouched,  cost 
many  British  lives  during  the  assault.  The  first 
target  of  the  German  guns  on  April  13  was  the 
church. 

Haig  had  now  captured  seven  miles  of  the  upper 
section  of  the  line.  Success  had  also  been  achieved 
by  the  armies  on  the  right — the  Fifth  under  Gough, 
operating  below  the  Sensee ;  and  the  Fourth,  under 
Rawlinson,  continuing  the  front  south  to  St.  Quen- 
tin.  On  March  26,  the  outpost  line  at  Lagnicourt 
had  been  captured.  By  April  1  the  armies  here 
were  five  miles  from  the  Hindenburg  line.  The 
strong  outpost  lines  based  on  the  fortified  quarries  of 
Ytres  were  stormed.  The  cavalry  galloped  in  a 
breach  and  took  Equancourt ;  the  positions  at  Sorel 

300 


THE  HINDENBURG  LINE 

and  Fins  went  next;  the  defenses  of  Havrincourt 
woods  were  flanked  and  reduced  by  the  capture  of 
Gonnelieu.  Heavy  guns  were  dragged  over  the  de- 
stroyed area,  and  were  bombarding  the  main  or 
Siegfried  line  on  the  entire  Cambrai  front  to  the 
St.  Quentin  canal.  Villers-Guisian  fell,  and  farther 
south  the  capture  of  Eoisel  cut  the  outer  railway 
from  Cambrai ;  while  Fayet,  a  mile  from  St.  Quentin, 
was  captured. 

Both  frontiers  were  closed  while  Germany  poured 
fresh  thousands  of  her  strategic  reserves  to  hold  the 
boasted  front  which  was  tottering.  Pioneers  slaved 
night  and  day  to  construct  the  Oppy  line,  a  crescent, 
to  protect  Douai  until  the  Wotan  line  could  be  com- 
pleted from  Queant  to  Drocourt.  One  hundred  and 
sixty-six  German  divisions  were  now  trying  to  hold 
the  general  Western  front.  Regardless  of  losses, 
the  reserves  were  thrown  in  to  hinder  the  results  of 
the  battle  which  was  smashing  up  the  German  line 
for  twenty  miles  below  Lens  and  had  gained  16,190 
prisoners,  and  227  guns  in  its  first  phase. 

During  the  last  week  of  April  the  struggle  became 
desperate  along  the  entire  front,  and  both  sides  lost 
heavily.  The  line  was  a  saw-edge  of  salients  driven 
in  between  unconquered  points,  where  men  fought 
like  tigers  in  the  broken  defenses,  with  attacks  and 
counter  attacks  won  and  lost  in  the  gaps.  Minor  bat- 
tles raged  on  the  flanks  of  each  stronghold,  the 
British  fighting  to  widen  their  gains,  the  Germans 

301 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

pouring  out  endless  reserves  from  Vitry.  Hinden- 
burg  suddenly  unmasked  a  marvelous  artillery  re- 
serve, and  at  a  dozen  advanced  points  the  British 
were  obliterated,  enabling  the  enemy  to  push  in 
temporarily  and  straighten  their  lines. 

On  April  23,  having  built  up  his  force,  Haig  again 
delivered  an  assault  on  the  entire  front.  More 
ground  was  gained  around  Lens.  From  the  Vimy 
Eidge  to  the  Sensee,  succeeding  waves  of  men  took 
Arleux  in  their  stride.  Eoeux  and  Oppy  definitely 
fell ;  then  Gavrelle  which  held  the  Arras-Douai  high- 
road ;  and  finally  Fresnoy.  The  Oppy  crescent  was 
smashed  and  the  guns  went  forward  against  the 
Wotan  line.  On  April  28,  the  thousandth  day  of  the 
war,  the  British  were  within  eight  miles  of  Douai. 
Between  Gavrelle  and  Monchy,  however,  Greenland 
Hill  long  remained  a  stubborn  German  salient,  for 
the  holding  of  which  no  sacrifice  was  too  great. 

Farther  south,  also,  the  armies  were  fighting  their 
way  forward.  Henin  and  Croiselles  were  taken ;  the 
breach  in  the  line  was  widened.  Gough's  forces 
were  smashing  up  the  line  toward  Queant.  But  the 
formidable  position  at  Fontaine,  partly  protected  by 
the  Sensee  Kiver,  maintained  a  three-mile  strip  be- 
fore the  junction  of  his  left  with  Allenby's  army  and 
resisted  all  efforts. 

From  the  end  of  the  central  system  at  Queant,  the 
new  reserve  line  forked  straight  north,  behind  the 
tottering  oblique  line  to  Vimy.  It  was  being 

302 


THE  HINDENBURG  LINE 

strengthened  night  and  day,  though  its  northern 
end  was  already  breached.  On  May  3,  the  Austral- 
ians broke  through  the  first  line  above  Queant,  and 
with  a  narrow  gap  as  entrance  they  pushed  across 
and  extended  in  the  prong  of  the  fork  before  a  sec- 
tion of  the  reserve  line.  For  two  weeks  a  unique 
battle  was  fought  on  a  sandwiched  front,  with  the 
Germans  on  the  front  line  fighting  back  to  back 
against  the  British  attacking  the  inner  line. 

This  gap  on  the  front  line  was  widened.  On  the 
night  of  the  14th,  vast  waves  of  men  attempted  to 
close  this  gap.  Australians  and  Londoners  lost 
heavily  in  the  fighting,  but  drove  the  enemy  back. 
Then  machine  guns  swept  from  the  flanks  and  a 
pitiless  shell  curtain  left  only  a  heap  of  German  dead 
at  daylight.  The  Lehr  Regiment,  the  Kaiser's  Cock- 
chafers, also  made  a  desperate  attempt  to  sweep 
down  the  fork  to  clear  the  sandwiched  front.  Two 
companies  moved  between  the  lines  while  a  frontal 
attack  was  raging,  but  they  were  discovered  and 
surrounded  by  the  New  South  Wales  troops  and 
driven  like  sheep  through  the  front  gap,  where  they 
surrendered. 

But  the  stubborn  point  on  the  Scarpe,  and  the 
Fontaine-Bullecourt  strip  greatly  retarded  a  general 
British  advance.  When  Cherisy  was  taken,  the  guns 
could  enfilade  the  Fontaine  strip  on  the  north. 
Gough's  artillery  was  pounding  the  line  toward 
Bullecourt  where  some  batteries  expended  6,000 

303 


0123456789    10 
Scala  of  Mile» 

MAP  No.  7. — THE  BRITISH  GRIP  ON  THE  HINDENBURO  LINE. 

In  May,  1917,  the  British  were  holding  all  the  main  sections  of 
the  line  above  St.  Quentin,  while  east  of  Arras  the  front  was 
pushed  far  beyond  it.  This  section  runs  southeast. 

304 


THE  HINDENBURG  LINE 

rounds  a  day.  At  many  points  the  infantry  broke 
through,  only  to  have  their  wedges  dominated  and 
annihilated.  But  the  gap  maintained  near  Rien- 
court  was  finally  widened  to  800  yards.  Then  Bulle- 
court  was  approached  from  the  south  in  short  des- 
perate rushes.  On  May  17  the  London  troops 
stormed  a  section  above  it,  the  Australians  fought 
their  way  up  from  the  flank  below,  and  the  strong- 
hold was  captured  with  its  garrison,  which  fought  to 
the  last. 

The  Allied  sweep  had  teemed  with  incidents. 
The  weather  marked  the  most  stormy  spring  in 
memory.  But  the  troops,  under  the  elixir  of  ad- 
vance, cared  little  for  hardships.  They  were  at  last 
fighting  in  the  open,  and  the  tedium  of  trench  war- 
fare seemed  ended.  The  batteries  maneuvered  at 
the  trot;  the  infantry  reverted  to  field  tactics,  and 
the  cavalry  was  often  in  action.  During  the  first 
ten  days  the  British  batteries  fired  4,000,000  shells. 
At  one  point  the  General  commanding  the  Seven- 
teenth Bavarian  Division  was  signing  a  report  to 
Prince  Rupprecht  on  the  bombardment,  when  six 
dusty  Tommies  walked  into  his  dugout.  "Are  you 
prisoners  I "  he  asked  curtly  in  English.  ' '  You  are, ' ' 
replied  a  soldier,  smiling.  His  staff  and  many  of  his 
men  were  captured  with  him.  At  Lagnicourt,  be- 
low Arras,  the  Guards  charged  the  Australian  ad- 
vance line  and  broke  through.  In  the  open,  they 
met  the  reserves  who  fought  from  a  hedge  while  the 

305 


A 

UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

batteries  galloped  to  the  flank  and  enfiladed  the 
enemy,  who  fled  leaving  1,600  dead  on  the  field. 

Before  Monchy,  too,  the  Third  Bavarian  Division 
charged  in  solid  masses.  But  after  a  burst  of  firing 
on  a  wide  section,  the  British  evacuated  their  first 
lines  almost  without  loss.  Screens  of  batteries  on 
the  flank  then  enfiladed  the  position  and  tore  it  to 
pieces  directly  the  line  was  in  German  hands. 

The  Germans  had  perfected  an  Infanterieflieger 
— a  line  of  heavy  battle  planes  for  the  " Fifth  Arm" 
— to  lead  infantry  assaults.  But  swift  British  flight 
squadrons  with  frontal  fire  were  ready  the  same 
week  and  occupied  a  battle  front  of  ten  miles  during 
attacks,  restoring  air  superiority  for  fighting  units. 
Pyramid  squadrons,  machines  for  artillery  observa- 
tion at  6,000  feet,  fighting  planes  at  10,000  feet,  and 
a  cone  of  swift  scouts  on  top  at  15,000  feet,  proved 
effective,  and  during  several  summer  battles  no 
hostile  planes  except  rapid  scouts  have  operated  over 
the  Allied  lines,  while  French  and  British  squadrons 
have  swept  over  the  German  armies  hourly.  But  the 
Germans  have  specialized  on  powerful  raiding 
squadrons  to  attack  communications  and  rest  camps 
in  surprise  sallies.  These  have  been  very  success- 
ful. 

During  this  fighting,  the  176th  Infantry,  Thirty- 
fifth  Division,  were  remarkably  considerate  to  the 
British  wounded  captured  in  the  second  great  coun- 
ter attack  and  rescued  five  days  later  when  the  de- 

306 


THE  HINDENBURG  LINE 

cision  was  reversed.  For  this  general  act  of  con- 
sideration, the  British  Army  commends  to  its  Allies 
for  special  treatment  any  man  of  this  unusual  regi- 
ment, if  captured.  Some  of  its  units  taken  in  later 
fighting  were  carried  shoulder  high  and  treated  as 
honored  guests. 

South  of  Queant,  great  gaps  were  torn  in  Hinden- 
burg's  central  system  and  the  gains  were  widened 
to  Neuville,  on  a  front  of  eight  miles  to  St.  Quentin. 
Eawlinson's  artillery  was  now  bombarding  the  main 
roads  from  Cambrai  and  was  close  to  the  canal — its 
reserve  defense. 

By  the  end  of  May  the  character  of  the  fighting 
had  entirely  changed.  Hindenburg  and  Ludendorff 
had  rushed  along  their  shattered  line.  At  first  their 
heavy  guns  had  spared  the  strongest  sections  of  the 
system  they  had  hoped  to  recover.  But  the  insen- 
sate counter  attacks  died  down  and  their  heavy  guns 
opened  promiscuously  on  the  entire  front.  The  deep 
new  wire  was  little  protection  with  tanks  to  lead 
the  way.  Hindenburg 's  vaunted  system  had  proved 
as  legendary  as  the  mythological  heroes  after  whom 
the  lines  were  named.  His  plan  was  one  grand 
error.  But  by  a  strange  irony  his  reputation  was 
saved  by  the  potency  of  the  shells  that  had  wrecked 
his  line,  but  made  the  new  defense  feasible. 

The  entire  front  was  pitted  with  British  shell 
craters.  In  these,  a  few  sandbags  and  machine  guns 
easily  created  a  mass  of  minor  forts,  spread  over  a 

307 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

great  depth.  Those  in  the  rear  were  reenforced  at 
night  by  concrete  vaults  capped  by  cupolas  easily 
hidden  by  dirt  and  weeds.  The  Maschinen  Eisen 
Betun  Unterstand  had  been  previously  planned  to 
form  a  long  barrier  across  the  Russian  front,  to  re- 
lease part  of  the  defensive  army.  Conditions  there 
enabled  the  materials  to  be  rushed  to  the  west,  to 
be  implanted  easily  in  the  shell  craters. 

The  M.  E.  B.  U.  system— dubbed  the  "May  Be" 
by  the  facetious  Tommies — saved  the  threatened 
front.  Spread  thickly  over  a  wide,  shell-torn  area, 
these  scattered  targets  were  difficult  for  artillery  to 
locate  or  destroy  and  afforded  no  defined  line.  A 
direct  hit  alone  hurts  them,  and  many  survived  the 
most  methodical  bombardment  to  remain  silent  and 
unseen  until  the  infantry  assaults.  Then  they 
swept  front  and  flanks,  each  one  enfilading  the  ap- 
proaches to  its  fellow.  Special  tank  mortars  were 
also  developed  to  hurl  huge  shells  at  short  range 
when  a  monster  approached.  This  fortuitous  evo- 
lution in  defensive  tactics  averted  disaster  from  fol- 
lowing defeat.  The  ultimate  test  will  be  in  morale. 
The  communications  of  these  new  scattered  garri- 
sons are  precarious,  and  escape  is  generally  impossi- 
ble. 

The  British  had  now  failed  to  break  through. 
During  May  (after  the  great  initial  victories)  the 
losses  were  112,332.  Except  at  Lens,  the  four  Brit- 
ish armies  in  France  gradually  relapsed  to  intensive 

308 


THE  HINDENBURG  LINE 

trench  warfare  while  the  new  positions  were  consoli- 
dated and  strengthened.  But  the  armies  were 
within  definite  reach  of  Douai  and  Cambrai.  To 
protect  these  vital  junctions,  the  Germans  were 
forced  to  expose  their  reserves  in  the  open  at  prodi- 
gal cost,  and  the  great  concentration  effected  for 
1917  was  used  in  holding  ground  when  it  should  have 
been  available  for  a  formidable  offensive.  The  pas- 
sive Eussian  Army  reaped  the  principal  benefit.  No 
German  forces  were  free  to  strike  a  decisive  blow  in 
the  east  when  the  army  was  demoralized,  and  an 
offensive  could  have  gone  as  far  as  its  columns  could 
march  during  the  summer.  Germany  retained  only 
twelve  active  divisions  in  her  army  on  the  Eussian 
front.  The  remainder  were  entirely  Landwehr  and 
Landsturm  formations. 

In  spite  of  their  offensive  on  the  Aisne,  the  French 
also  made  good  progress  on  their  thirty-mile  front 
below  St.  Quentin,  and  held  a  strong  German  force 
on  this  line.  From  the  outer  curve  below  Noyon, 
they  had,  in  places,  twenty-five  miles  of  devastated 
country  to  cross  before  they  were  in  touch  with  the 
revised  German  front.  They  got  their  guns  over  the 
Somme  Canal,  and  with  their  left  on  St.  Quentin 
drove  the  enemy  from  his  outworks  and  closed  on  the 
Hindenburg  line  along  the  Oise.  They  gained  Terg- 
nier,  the  railroad  junction  on  the  Paris-Brussels  line, 
and  pushed  their  guns  close  to  the  flooded  area  be- 
fore La  Fere,  maintaining  a  heavy  fire  on  the  Ger- 

309 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

man  front  across  the  swamp  and  sweeping  the  ap- 
proaches to  the  city. 

Below  Chauny,  the  enemy  made  a  determined 
stand  in  the  Conchy  forest;  but  the  French  pushed 
in  from  the  south  across  the  Ailette,  and  the  Ger- 
mans were  pushed  back  to  a  salient  formed  by  the 
forest-clad  hills  of  Gobain.  Northeast  of  Soissons, 
also,  the  Leuilly  outpost  line  was  smashed  and  the 
enemy  pushed  back  to  the  Albrecht  line  built  before 
Laon  to  protect  the  angle  with  the  Aisne  front. 
These  operations  were  the  ground  work  for  the 
wedge  at  Vauxaillon,  which  played  a  big  part  in  the 
Aisne  offensive,  and  a  basis  for  the  capture  of  Laon 
where  Germany  expects  an  American  army  to  strike 
first. 


CHAPTER  XH 

THE  CHEMIN  DES  DAMES 

ON  the  eve  of  their  great  spring  offensive,  the 
German  retreat  and  its  orgy  of  devastation  mag- 
netized the  French  with  mixed  feelings  of  hope  and 
resentment.  "France  is  bled  white!"  shrieked  von 
Reventlow,  the  frightful,  after  Verdun.  The  re- 
sponse was  a  concentration  of  national  energy  dur- 
ing the  winter  to  sustain  a  blow  decisive  in  aim  and 
so  great  that  an  entire  volume  would  do  scant  jus- 
tice to  its  ramifications.  Yet  the  offensive  was  com- 
prehensively simple  in  its  execution,  and  in  general 
terms  it  can  be  described  in  a  few  pages. 

Electrified  by  her  Verdun  victories,  France  de- 
manded an  aggressive  effort.  There  was  a  feeling 
that  the  day  for  Joffre's  policy  of  nibbling  had 
passed.  There  was  no  deep  bitterness  in  the  politi- 
cal crisis  which  arose.  But  Joffre  retired,  Foch 
went  to  study  conditions  on  the  Swiss  frontier,  De 
Castelnau  went  to  Eussia,  and  Nivelle,  who  had  re- 
trieved Verdun,  was  appointed  to  command  the 
armies.  A  new  supply  of  guns,  and  a  vast  stock  of 
shells  manufactured  by  the  women  of  the  Republic, 
had  made  the  artillery  powerful,  and  early  in  April 

311 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

the  picked  corps  of  the  French  Grand  Army  were 
concentrated  on  the  selected  sectors  between  Sois- 
sons  and  Souain. 

At  8 :30  on  April  16,  the  first  assault  was  delivered 
along  the  Aisne  plateau,  between  Soissons  and 
Eheims,  against  the  front  traversed  by  the  ancient 
road  of  chivalry  ,the  Chemin  des  Dames,  where  von 
Kluck  made  his  great  stand,  and  along  its  curve  over 
the  heights  northwest  of  Eheims  where  von  Bue- 
low's  left  had  rallied.  A  special  force  operated 
against  the  hills  above  Bheims,  notably  Brimont, 
where  guns  shook  the  world  by  their  insensate  Strafe 
of  the  Cathedral.  Backed  perfectly  by  the  artillery, 
the  troops  stormed  successive  German  lines,  break- 
ing in  and  rolling  them  up  in  sequence. 

When  the  first  Aisne  lines  were  down  and  the 
Crown  Prince  had  hurried  over  his  guns  and  re- 
serves, flinging  in  sixteen  divisions,  an  unexpected 
assault  was  delivered  on  the  Eheims  heights.  The 
objectives  in  this  wide  battle  were  the  capture  of 
Laon  and  its  railroads,  and  the  release  of  Eheims 
from  the  destructive  curve  clamped  above  the  city. 
Conditions  in  the  districts  involved  have  been  fully 
described  in  earlier  chapters. 

Miles  of  tortillard  had  been  built  by  the  French 
during  the  winter,  so  that  men  and  supplies  could  be 
railed  rapidly  to  necessary  points.  A  feature  of  the 
attack  was  the  support  rendered  by  the  field  batter- 
ies which  followed  the  infantry  closely,  protecting 

312 


THE  CHEMIN  DES  DAMES 

each  sector  with  local  creeping  barrage,  and  meet- 
ing each  emergency  as  it  arose.  German  counter 
attacks  were  broken  up;  points  developing  special 
resistance  were  subdued  by  a  rain  of  shells,  and  for 
three  days  French  progress  was  hardly  halted. 

On  the  first  day  of  uphill  battle  the  front  lines 
along  the  Aisne  were  crushed  from  Missy  to  the 
Craonne  plateau,  where  a  footing  was  gained  on  the 
height  and  a  wedge  driven  into  the  second  line  to- 
ward Juvencourt.  The  Ville  aux  Bois  was  sur- 
rounded and  an  entire  regiment  captured.  East  of 
Soissons  also  a  huge  gain  was  made  on  the  flank  of 
the  positions  gained  by  von  Kluck  during  the  Aisne 
flood,  where  a  huge  salient  dominated  by  Fort  Conde 
reached  across  the  river  and  enabled  the  enemy  to 
launch  assaults  on  the  south  bank  and  menace  the 
rear  of  the  Aisne  line. 

All  German  counter  attacks  were  repulsed,  and  at 
daylight  the  French  again  swept  forward,  extending 
the  right  of  the  attack  for  seventeen  miles  of  Auber- 
ive  over  the  fortified  hills  east  of  Bheims  from  Mont 
Cornillet  across  the  Moronvillers  massif  to  Vaude- 
vincourt.  The  heights  were  protected  on  the  face  by 
seven  trench  lines,  which  were  captured.  Huge 
wedges  of  men  then  fought  their  way  forward  on 
either  side  of  the  plateau.  On  the  east,  Auberive 
was  stormed,  flanked,  and  taken.  From  this  salient 
the  ridge  on  the  north  v/as  won  and  the  second  part 
of  the  third  lines  on  Moronvillers  were  flanked  and 

313 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

turned.  Forces  from  the  wedge  on  the  west  had 
worked  around  in  rear,  and  the  face  of  the  stubborn 
plateaux,  six  and  a  half  miles  of  solid  fortifications 
— in  places  1,000  feet  high — was  captured  on  the 
third  day  with  most  of  the  heavy  artillery. 

The  most  stubborn  fighting  occurred  on  the  heights 
above  Eheims,  where  the  German  guns  were  retali- 
ating uselessly  on  the  tortured  city.  At  terrific  cost, 
a  footing  was  gained  on  the  heights  of  Bricourt,  but 
the  first  progress  could  not  be  maintained.  The 
Russian  Division  fought  splendidly  along  the  Aisne- 
Marne  Canal  to  Courcy,  which  was  successfully 
stormed,  enabling  a  wedge  to  push  up  along  the 
railroad  west  of  Brimont.  Farther  west,  the  French 
pushed  up  on  both  sides  of  the  Craonne  plateau  along 
the  Laon  road,  and  on  the  left  took  Chavonne,  which 
was  stubbornly  defended,  and  Ostel,  a  mile  above. 

Along  the  general  Aisne  front,  between  Missy  and 
Chavonne,  the  French  had  cleared  a  wide  system  of 
field  fortifications,  including  the  approaches  to 
Bray.  Seventeen  thousand  prisoners  and  92  guns 
were  the  proceeds  of  the  first  three  days.  The  Ger- 
mans were  pushed  back  from  successive  positions, 
but  rallied  in  a  general  line  marked  by  the  Chemin 
des  Dames,  in  many  places  500  feet  higher  than  the 
original  French  line  above  the  river,  and  with  the 
Ailette  Valley  between  them. 

The  junction  of  the  Hindenburg  system  on  the 
west  front  to  the  Aisne  line  was  protected  by  a  nest 

314 


THE  CHEMIN  DES  DAMES 

of  outpost  positions  across  the  road  from  Soissons 
to  Laon.  The  ground  gained  at  Vailly  east  of  the 
salient  maintained  by  Fort  Conde  and  its  bridge- 
head south  of  the  river,  became  the  base  of  an  ambi- 
tious plan  to  drive  the  wedge  deeply  northwest  to 
meet  the  apex  of  a  similar  wedge  to  be  forced  in 
southeast,  from  the  west  front  at  Laffaux.  This 
would  obviously  cut  out  a  corner  of  ugly  outpost  de- 
fenses between  Laon  and  Soissons,  and  would  include 
in  the  isolated  area  Fort  Conde,  a  hill  400  feet  high, 
with  its  wide  field  of  fire  which  made  it  impregnable 
for  ordinary  attack.  On  a  smaller  scale,  the  opera- 
tion repeated  the  first  abortive  efforts  made  by  Ger- 
mans to  isolate  Verdun. 

Nanteuil  was  captured  by  a  unique  sweep  of 
French  cavalry.  When  the  artillery  had  broken  a 
gap  on  the  flank  which  the  infantry  stormed  and 
widened,  the  cavalry  rode  into  the  break,  galloped 
behind  the  town,  and  completed  its  envelopment 
before  the  reserves  could  get  up.  This  cleared  the 
front  south  of  Laffaux  and  to  the  approaches  to 
Fort  Malmaison  holding  the  road  to  Laon.  The 
French  also  took  Neuville  above  it.  Eeserves 
poured  down  the  road  from  Laon  to  hold  the  road, 
but  with  the  French  on  three  sides  a  simultaneous 
attack  captured  Laffaux  with  its  mass  of  fortified 
quarries,  where  French  women  kept  for  the  garri- 
son were  released  in  pitiable  condition.  Joffre 
started  his  mission  to  the  United  States  with  the 

315 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

most  encouraging  situation  on  the  front  that  France 
had  known  since  the  victory  of  the  Marne. 

On  April  19,  the  French  advanced  above  Soissons 
from  the  west  and  south.  Again  the  Twentieth 
Corps  was  in  the  van,  on  the  wedge  east  of  Conde. 
The  German  guns  escaped  through  the  narrowing 
gap,  but  the  Saxon  brigade  was  too  slow;  it  was 
caught  between  two  fires  and  the  survivors  surren- 
dered. 


MAP  No.  8. — SCENE  OF  THE  FRENCH  OFFENSIVE  ON  THE  AISNE 
BETWEEN  SOISSONS  AND  RHEIMS,  1917. 

Dotted  line  on  the  left  shows  ground  gained  below  Laon,  Oct., 
1917. 

The  Germans  fell  back  to  the  reserve  Siegfried 
line  protecting  Laon,  and  along  the  Chemin  des 
Dames,  which  here  runs  on  the  highest  part  of  the 
Aisne  plateau,  abandoning  the  Vregny  salient, 
though  their  guns  could  still  enfilade  part  of  the 
Aisne  Valley.  On  April  20,  fresh  German  divisions 
were  thrown  on  the  Aisne  front.  But  the  French 

316 


THE  CHEMIN  DBS  DAMES 

were  now  a  mile  north  of  Ostel ;  Braye  en  Laonnais 
was  captured  and  the  entire  front  eastward  to  Court- 
con,  with  five  batteries  and  three  depots  with  stores 
— gains  held  in  the  face  of  five  desperate  counter 
attacks.  At  three  points  they  were  touching  the 
famous  road. 

Nivelle  was  now  free  to  develop  the  second  phase 
of  his  battle  for  the  actual  capture  of  Laon.  The 
city  stands  at  the  apex  of  a  triangular  block  of 
heights  rising  from  the  Aisne  Valley,  which  outlines 
the  base  of  the  position.  The  road  from  Soissons 
to  Laon  marks  one  side  of  the  triangle,  and  the  upper 
section  of  the  Eheims-Laon  road  across  the  Craonne 
plateau,  the  other. 

Fighting  its  way  north  from  the  Aisne,  the  army 
was  pushing  up  the  base  of  this  triangle,  while  on 
either  side  wedges  northeast  from  Laffaux  and 
northwest  through  Craonne  were  to  close  toward 
the  apex,  Laon,  each  operation  automatically  short- 
ening the  lines  of  attack.  With  the  capture  of 
Vauxaillen  above  Laffaux,  the  grip  had  widened  on 
the  Hindenburg  system  across  the  Laon  road. 
Rains  hampered  the  operations,  but  the  French 
forces  to  the  east  concentrated  on  the  edge  of  the 
Craonne  plateaux,  and  on  May  4,  they  swept  across, 
smashing  the  defenses,  capturing  Craonne,  and  driv- 
ing the  enemy  from  the  Casemates,  and  the  Cali- 
fornie,  called  in  Germany  the  "Winterberg." 

As  the  French  were  digging  in  on  the  plateaux, 

317 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

three  selected  divisions,  headed  by  Eoehr's  shock 
units,  made  a  desperate  drive  at  Berry  au  Bac, 
southeast  of  the  new  gains.  The  Fusil  Mitrailleurs 
took  heavy  toll  of  the  charging  masses,  but  numbers 
finally  told.  The  French  front  was  broken  and  the 
Germans  sent  up  fresh  troops  to  push  in  behind  the 
distended  lines.  The  enemy  was  now  on  the  river, 
menacing  the  right  flank  and  rear  of  the  entire  Aisne 
line.  A  great  disaster  threatened.  Nivelle  at  once 
gathered  a  force  to  check  the  menace.  Thousands 
of  gallant  French  soldiers  threw  themselves  against 
the  elated  enemy,  and  during  the  next  day  the  gains 
were  localized  and  walled  in  at  heavy  cost.  The 
Crown  Prince  was  concentrating  his  energy  to  press 
the  advantage.  Berlin  announced  that  the  French 
front  was  broken.  And  with  superb  confidence,  at 
the  height  of  this  crisis  east  of  Craonne,  Nivelle 
ordered  a  general  advance  along  the  entire  Aisne 
front. 

The  Germans  were  caught  off  guard  by  this  as- 
tounding offensive.  The  French  Army  smashed 
their  entire  front  of  eighteen  miles  and,  except  be- 
low Laon,  drove  them  right  off  the  Aisne  ridges, 
sweeping  across  the  Chemin  des  Dames.  The  tri- 
color was  waving  triumphantly  on  the  backbone  of 
the  barrier  that  had  marked  the  western  half  of  Ger- 
many's southern  war  frontier.  The  French  Armies 
were  looking  down  on  the  Aillette  Valley,  with  mag- 
nificent observation  posts  and  artillery  positions  to 

318 


THE  CHEMIN  DES  DAMES 

pave  the  way  to  Laon,  whose  spires  glittered  among 
the  wooded  hills  only  seven  miles  distant — a  prize  to 
which  they  now  held  most  of  the  important  ap- 
proaches. In  some  sections,  the  front  had  been  ad- 
vanced four  miles.  Official  Germany  was  stunned 
at  the  news  and  Hindenbnrg  rushed  to  the  Head- 
quarters of  the  Crown  Prince,  pushing  his  car  under 
shell  fire  to  look  over  the  scene  of  the  reverse. 

During  the  battle,  furious  fighting  had  taken  place 
before  Rheims.  With  the  entire  Aisne  line  pushed 
north,  the  front  east  of  Juvincourt  curved  sharply 
back  southeast  by  the  Berry  au  Bac  salient  to  the 
canal  and  the  occupied  hills  north  of  the  city.  With 
a  strong  footing  on  both  sides  of  Brimont,  the 
French  now  strove  to  break  in  from  the  curve  above 
it  and  envelop  it  from  the  north.  On  a  six-mile 
front,  the  French  had  pushed  the  line  toward  the 
valley  of  the  Suippe. 

East  of  Rheims,  Fort  Pompelle  was  retaken  and 
definite  wedges  were  driven  between  the  heights  of 
the  old  French  fortified  line  toward  Beine.  Baden, 
Saxon,  and  Brandenburg  troops  held  the  three  ob- 
servation posts  1,000  feet  high,  on  the  line  toward 
Auberive,  and  these  changed  hands  definitely  by 
May  20,  after  a  furious  struggle. 

But  France  was  to  reap  the  fruits  of  bitter  disap- 
pointment through  the  continued  stagnation  in  Rus- 
sia. The  Gferman  Army  on  the  east  front  had  rested 
and  refitted;  its  artillery  had  been  passive  for  weeks, 

319 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

using  no  ammunition,  while  the  Russian  gunners 
stood  idle  with  a  stock  of  British  shells  sent  to 
enable  winter  pressure  to  follow  Brusiloff's  offen- 
sive. The  German  artillery  was  soon  transferred  to 
France  and  extended  in  an  unbroken  curve  below 
Laon  and  above  Eheims,  to  check  a  further  French 
advance.  Division  after  division  of  troops  was 
rushed  from  the  Russian  front  to  stem  the  French 
tide,  which  had  sacrificed  85,000  men  when  the 
chance  for  a  final  decision  was  taken  from  them. 

Toward  the  end  of  May,  when  the  French  on  the 
west  front  were  cutting  out  huge  sections  of  the 
fortified  Gobain  forest,  and  normally  would  have 
followed  up  their  victories  on  the  south  front,  in- 
tense bombardments  broke  up  their  advances. 

On  June  4,  German  waves,  a  division  strong, 
flowed  simultaneously  against  the  Casemates,  Cal- 
if ornie,  and  Vauclerc  plateaux.  The  Crown  Prince 
repeated  his  Verdun  tactics.  Guns  were  concen- 
trated in  curves  on  definite  sectors;  the  troops  at- 
tacked in  dense  masses.  To  save  life  where  yards 
of  ground  were  not  vital,  the  French  withdrew  from 
their  front  lines  when  the  bombardment  opened.  At 
close  range  their  field  batteries  poured  shells  at  the 
advancing  masses,  harried  the  survivors  in  the  cap- 
tured trenches,  and  then  recaptured  the  position 
with  the  bayonet.  Assault  after  assault  inflicted 
severe  losses  on  the  forces  of  the  Crown  Prince,  but 
the  French  casualties  were  also  heavy.  Twice  the 

320 


THE  CHEMIN  DES  DAMES 

enemy  attained  a  definite  footing  on  the  plateaux, 
but  was  ejected  by  counter  attacks  and  the  early 
gains  were  made  good.  West  of  Eheims  ground  was 
also  gained  between  Monts  Blond  and  Cornillet,  but 
on  the  iron  circle  above  the  city  a  concentration  of 
men  and  guns  made  further  progress  impossible, 
and  the  ancient  capital  has  been  smashed  out  of 
recognition  in  retaliation. 

Senator  Root  has  spoken  of  the  annoyance  ex- 
pressed by  the  leaders  of  the  revolution  in  Russia 
because  the  French  and  British  missions  urged  that 
the  army  should  instantly  recommence  operations. 
Decisive  results  were  never  nearer  than  at  the  hour 
that  Russia  failed.  The  British  had  re-equipped  her 
army  with  field  batteries,  heavy  guns,  and  crews  to 
man  them.  But  while  Russia  was  wrangling,  the 
early  promise  of  the  British  and  French  offensives 
was  negatived  by  guns  and  reserves  that  could  have 
been  held  on  the  eastern  front  by  normal  pressure. 

Failing  at  Craonne,  the  Crown  Prince  attacked  on 
the  Champagne  front,  and  failing  there  he  opened  a 
terrific  bombardment  on  the  Chemin  des  Dames,  fol- 
lowed by  desperate  assaults  that  gained  a  definite 
footing  at  some  points.  Again  the  French  regained 
the  ground  by  counter  attack.  Then  the  assault 
spread  suddenly  to  the  Craonne  heights,  where 
ground  was  regained  by  the  Germans  at  appalling 
cost,  only  to  be  lost  a  week  later. 

Hindenburg  determined  to  retake  the  lost  ridges 

321 
\ 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

at  all  costs.  The  positions  were  important,  but  the 
fury  of  the  assaults  was  inspired  by  a  double  motive. 
He  hoped  to  break  the  heart  of  France  before  an 
adequate  army  could  be  sent  from  the  United  States. 
He  feared  the  hour  when  those  fresh  and  ardent 
forces  might  strike  along  the  Aisne  front,  where 
even  the  investment  of  Laon  coupled  with  the  loss  or 
destruction  of  Douai  by  the  British,  would  cripple 
the  railway  system  and  force  another  strategic  re- 
treat, with  a  severe  modification  of  the  rectangle 
maintained  in  France. 

During  June  and  July  the  fighting  raged  on  with- 
out respite.  Both  sides  made  gains.  The  French 
counter  attack  on  June  27  broke  the  German  front 
at  Hurtebise  farm.  In  the  impetuosity  of  the  as- 
sault, the  troops  swept  by  the  entrance  to  the  famous 
Dragons'  Cave,  and  its  garrison  surrendered  igno- 
miniously  to  a  French  priest  who  came  up  to  help 
the  wounded.  On  July  4,  the  Germans  made  their 
major  effort  to  regain  the  Chemin  des  Dames.  The 
attack  was  repeated  on  the  14th  and  changed  to 
Craonne  on  the  24th,  but  the  efforts  of  seventy  di- 
visions— over  a  million  men — have  not  been  able  to 
entirely  affect  the  French  position,  and  the  German 
losses  have  been  prodigious.  During  August  the 
attacks  degenerated  into  mere  trench .  raids  on  a 
large  scale  and  on  September  4  many  German  bat- 
teries were  sent  north  to  Belgium. 

The  French  maintained  their  hold  on  the  heights, 

322 


THE  CHEMIN  DES  DAMES 

but  their  losses  were-  appalling.  The  capture  of 
Laon  must  be  effected  by  more  patient  tactics.  Per- 
haps the  price  for  the  ridges  was  too  high  to  pay 
since  the  audacious  operation  came  to  a  standstill. 
Petain  was  restored  to  the  supreme  command,  with 
Foch  chief  of  staff.  Nivelle  retired  with  Mangin  to 
await  the  verdict  of  history  which  can  be  rendered 
only  when  the  effect  of  the  waste  of  Germany's  man 
power  can  be  weighed. 

Below  Laon  the  Germans  still  held  high  ground 
before  the  French  lines  with  dominating  artillery 
positions.  For  some  days  Trommelfeueren  epitom- 
ized the  German  reports  from  this  sector.  On  Octo- 
ber 25  the  cars  of  General  Petain,  Generals  Pershing 
and  Sibert  and  many  American  officers  drove  at 
dawn  to  join  D'Esperey's  forces.  Hindenburg"s 
main  reserves  had  gone  to  the  Italian  front,  and  the 
French  were  to  strike  another  blow  for  Laon.  Un- 
der the  interested  eyes  of  American  officers  of  all 
branches,  picked  forces  led  by  General  Maistre  at- 
tacked between  Vauxvaillon  and  Chevrigny. 

The  western  front  curved  round  the  St.  Gobain 
massif,  with  Fort  Malmaison  holding  the  south- 
eastern approaches  before  which  the  previous  offen- 
sive had  been  halted.  By  midday  the  French  had 
pushed  round  the  fort.  Field  guns  were  thrown  for- 
ward close  behind  the  line  of  attack,  and  Malmaison 
fell.  On  the  second  day  the  Germans  were  pushed 
back  across  the  valley,  the  Forest  of  Pinon  was  in 

323 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

French  hands,  and  twenty-five  square  miles  of 
ground  had  been  gained  at  the  base  of  the  Laon  tri- 
angle, with  cave  and  quarry  strongholds,  and  a  sec- 
tion of  the  old  Brussels  railroad.  Many  guns  and 
11,000  prisoners  were  taken  in  the  stroke  which 
would  allow  a  wedge  to  be  driven  between  St.  Go- 
bain  and  Laon.  In  a  few  days  the  Germans  with- 
drew across  the  Ailette,  abandoning  the  salient  below 
the  city. 

The  loss  of  Laon,  which  links  the  railroads  from 
the  north  and  east,  would  be  a  serious  blow,  and 
coupled  with  the  growing  wedge  in  Belgium,  would 
force  Germany  to  retire  to  the  strong  Meuse  line  al- 
ready prepared  from  Antwerp  across  Belgium  to 
Charleroi,  and  along  the  Meuse  to  the  east  of  Ver- 
dun, a  buffer  to  her  own  frontier. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

BELGIUM,  1917 

WITH  the  French  Armies  staggering  under  succes- 
sive blows  above  the  Aisne,  and  the, forces  on  the 
British  front  in  France  recuperating  from  heavy 
losses,  consolidating  their  front  along  the  Hinden- 
burg  line,  and  building  permanent  communications, 
the  off ensive  again  changed  to  Belgium. 

When  Foch  with  his  meager  Anglo-French  di- 
visions was  holding  up  the  German  flood  in  Belgium, 
the  Germans  had  gained  the  ridges  below  the  Ypres 
salient  which  overlooked  the  entire  area,  and  for 
thirty-two  months  their  guns  had  been  able  to  shell 
the  rear  of  the  British  lines.  From  stubby  Hill  60, 
where  the  Dorset  Regiment  was  asphyxiated  by  gas 
in  the  night,  and  before  which  thousands  of  British 
dead  were  heaped  in  successive  attacks  to  avenge  the 
deed,  and  from  Wytschaete  and  Messines  ridges,  the 
batteries  had  daily  shattered  hundreds  of  the  dogged 
men  exposed  on  the  salient  which  gas  alone  had  con- 
tracted but  which  had  never  broken. 

The  Duke  of  Wurttemberg  had  gone  to  command 
the  Franco-German  frontier,  and  Prince  Rupprecht 
of  Bavaria  now  controlled  the  entire  line  from  Laon 

325 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

to  the  coast.  For  a  year,  General  Plumer  and  the 
Second  Army  had  been  waiting  for  the  order  to  at- 
tack and  avenge  the  Ypres  shambles.  For  ten 
months  the  engineers  had  driven  mine  galleries  un- 
der the  ridges  in  the  impervious  clay  stratum  that 
underlies  the  sand  in  Flanders  and  makes  the  fen 
land  rich  for  farming  but  difficult  to  intrench  or  to 
maneuver  across  after  rains  that  can  never  dry  in. 
The  clay  now  proved  a  blessing.  German  counter 
mines  found  only  sand  that  caved  in,  and  so  450  tons 
of  ammonal  were  packed  and  wired  in  secret,  while 
the  enemy  batteries  above  the  petards  grew  abun- 
dantly and  men  in  concrete  tunnels  jeered  at  the 
growing  gun  power  in  the  plain  below. 

Through  the  night  of  June  6  a  stupendous  artil- 
lery duel  raged  as  the  troops  moved  up  on  a  ten- 
mile  front,  below  Ypres,  before  the  ridges,  and 
across  Ploegstaert  to  the  frontier.  At  2 :00  A.  M., 
the  Sapper  General  reported  to  Headquarters  after 
final  inspection,  and  for  minutes  that  seemed  hours 
officers  peered  at  their  luminous  dials  with  hands 
that  crept  from  3 :00  A.  M.  to  3 :10.  Then  geysers  of 
yellow  flame  tore  skyward;  a  shock  of  air  stunned 
hundreds  of  men ;  the  roar  rolled  across  to  expectant 
England,  and  roused  Holland  from  sleep.  Over  a 
wide  expanse  a  torrent  of  rocks,  concrete,  dirt,  trees, 
bits  of  metal,  and  human  fragments  rained  back  to 
the  soil  of  tortured  Belgium.  Then  one  thousand 
guns  opened  across  the  smoking  abyss. 

326 


BELGIUM,  1917 

When  the  long  lines  of  troops  rushed  forward,  the 
waves  that  crossed  the  torn  area  were  followed  by 
a  mass  of  bearer  companies  who  mercifully  bore  out 
the  enemy  injured.  "Do  you  call  this  war?"  wailed 
an  officer  as  he  was  carried  to  the  dressing  station. 
"Do  you  call  that  war?"  answered  the  surgeon, 
pointing  to  Ypres  ghastly  in  the  fitful  gun-glare. 

In  one  triumphant  rush  the  Irish  Division  took 
Wytschaete — Nationalists  and  Ulster  battalions 
fighting  as  brothers  in  the  common  cause.  The  An- 
zacs  swept  Messines  clear.  The  Twenty-fourth 
Saxons  and  Twenty-third  Bavarians  were  about  to 
be  relieved,  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourth  In- 
fantry and  Third  Bavarians  were  marching  up  when 
the  explosion  occurred.  The  uninjured  men  in  the 
approach  trenches  went  back  passively  as  prisoners, 
and  the  assaulting  lines  were  soon  swarming  over 
the  ruins  against  the  dazed  reliefs.  They  had  taken 
shelter  in  the  woods  and  made  a  sporadic  resistance, 
but  were  rounded  up  during  the  day. 

The  tunneled  emplacements,  forts  of  six-foot  con- 
crete, and  the  maze  of  trenches  on  the  crests  were 
torn  up  and  thrown  in  a  jumble  in  twelve  yawning 
craters.  Many  guns  were  farther  back,  and  escaped 
while  the  troops  were  storming  the  fortified  towns 
beyond  the  mine  area,  though  the  dazed  prisoners 
soon  surrendered  for  effective  artillery  fire  had  fol- 
lowed the  explosive  shock. 

On  the  entire  front  the  first  lines  were  captured  in 

327 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ten  minutes.  The  second  line  south  of  the  ridges 
developed  a  strong  resistance  from  concrete  trenches 
screened  in  the  woods.  The  English  battalions  on 
the  right  lost  heavily,  but  would  not  be  denied,  and 
they  finally  pushed  the  front  forward  to  less  than  a 
mile  from  "Warneton. 

Reserve  defenses,  east  of  the  ridges,  were  soon 
strongly  reenforced,  and  the  British  advance  was 
checked  until  the  field  batteries  came  up  at  a  gallop 
after  thirty-two  months  in  camouflage,  the  drivers 
cheering  in  the  saddle,  the  horses  sharing  the  excite- 
ment that  only  gun  and  fire  teams  know.  By  night 
the  crucial  five  miles  below  Ypres  were  pushed  for- 
ward three  miles  and  the  bloody  salient  had  passed. 
As  Allenby  had  won  a  victory  at  Greenland  Hill  on 
the  previous  day,  the  Germans  had  now  been  cleared 
from  all  the  ridges  to  Rheims  which  at  first  had 
made  their  grip  in  the  west  comparatively  easy  to 
maintain.  After  vain  counter  attacks  and  a  daily 
British  advance,  the  enemy  retreated  to  a  straight 
front  between  Hollebeke  and  Warneton,  on  June  15. 

Intermittent  fighting  of  a  brisk  character  has  con- 
tinued on  the  Hindenburg  line  during  the  summer 
and  autumn,  and  various  points  have  been  taken,  but 
the  bulk  of  the  fighting  there  raged  around  Lens. 
The  Canadians  took  the  electric  light  station  on 
June  4,  but  500  guns  drove  them  back.  On  the  28th, 
they  took  Avion — just  as  they  heard  that  an  Ameri- 
can army  had  landed  in  France.  Daily  the  fighting 

328 


BELGIUM,  1917 

raged,  with  a  steady  progress  measured  in  yards. 
On  August  15,  the  Canadians  captured  Hill  70  and 
St.  Laurent,  cleaning  the  Loos  sector,  and  placed  a 
forceps  closely  on  Lens,  and  as  the  shell  is  now  use- 
less for  Germany's  coal,  continual  sacrifice  is  not 
necessary — the  guns  take  the  toll. 

After  the  Messines  victory,  however,  Belgium  re- 
mained the  center  of  British  activity.  Early  in 
1917,  the  Ministry  of  Munitions  had  provided  for  a 
lavish  output  of  large-caliber  shells  of  unusual  po- 
tency. Woolwich  had  perfected  a  new  type  of  heavy 
field  howitzer,  advantageous  in  range  and  mobility, 
and  new  artillery  of  extraordinary  strength  was 
ready  in  June  to  carry  out  a  new  policy  of  blasting  a 
steady  path  forward  to  save  the  suicidal  waste  of 
men.  The  casualties  incurred  in  carrying  one  de- 
fense system  on  the  Somme  were  40,000 — an  army 
corps.  British  losses  in  August,  1916,  were  127,945 
men — far  too  heavy  for  a  war  of  endurance. 

The  flat  country  of  Flanders  was  eminently  fitted 
for  this  war  by  artillery.  There  were  more  vital 
sectors  in  France,  but  most  were  thickly  settled,  and 
each  one  would  entail  the  destruction  of  valuable 
towns  about  which  German  defense  is  centered.  A 
methodical  advance  across  Belgium  might  automat- 
ically free  Lille  and  turn  the  western  line,  and  it 
would  force  German  reserves  to  face  attrition  in 
open  country  with  less  opportunity  for  ruthless  de- 
struction of  property.  The  guns  started  in  June.  I 

329 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

have  heard  their  thunder  when  at  sea,  130  miles 
away. 

To  forestall  the  threatened  offensive  from  spread- 
ing along  the  coast  to  the  submarine  bases,  Ger- 
many struck  a  brilliant  blow.  To  enforce  the  with- 
drawal of  vital  squadrons  of  the  Eoyal  Flying  Corps 
from  the  front,  ruthless  air  raids  were  made  on  Eng- 
land. The  busiest  street  of  Folkestone,  a  seashore 
resort,  was  deliberately  bombed  by  daylight  one 
Saturday  evening.  Civilians  on  the  Essex  coast 
were  blown  to  pieces  the  following  week,  and  then 
London  at  midday,  where  two  machines  sought  out 
the  quarters  of  General  Pershing's  men  who  had 
gone  to  France  on  the  previous  evening.  Thirteen 
machines,  however,  dropped  torpedoes  and  incen- 
diary bombs  on  the  most  crowded  streets,  and  hun- 
dreds of  noncombatants  were  killed  or  injured. 

On  July  7,  London  was  again  attacked.  The  ma- 
chines flew  at  a  low  altitude.  I  have  witnessed  many 
air  raids,  but  none  where  the  destruction  of  civilians 
was  so  deliberately  sought.  In  perfect  phalanx  the 
machines  swept  across  the  city  and  launched  their 
bombs  only  in  crowded  thoroughfares  like  Holborn 
and  St.  Paul's.  A  few  civilian  lives  are  of  less  im- 
portance than  the  safety  of  the  army  that  is  endur- 
ing all  the  horrors  or  war.  But  popular  opinion 
demanded  more  protection,  and  until  new  squadrons 
were  formed,  a  strong  flotilla  was  diverted  to  watch 
for  raiders — and  on  July  10  the  army  paid  the  price. 

330 


BELGIUM,  1917 

The  British  had  taken  over  the  Belgian  left  from 
Dixmude  to  the  coast.  On  a  front  of  ten  miles  from 
the  sea  to  Nieuport  the  trenches  were  built  half  a 
mile  east  of  the  Yser,  with  communications  on  pon- 
toon bridges  across  the  canalized  river  whose  banks 
here  are  deep  and  reenforced  to  prevent  floods  at 
high  tide.  With  the  air  service  depleted,  the  Brit- 
ish did  not  discover  a  concentration  of  naval  guns 
before  this  sector.  There  are  also  stories  of  treach- 
erous lights  which  disclosed  the  positions  of  the 
bridges.  At  daybreak,  direct  hits  smashed  the  com- 
munications and  a  terrific  bombardment  tore  to 
pieces  the  British  trenches  in  the  sand  dunes.  For 
an  hour  the  first  line  was  churned  by  shells,  which 
then  broke  up  the  support  trenches. 

The  new  thunder  of  guns  toward  Ostend  rolled  far 
seaward  and  cheered  the  hearts  of  the  tireless  naval 
auxiliaries.  When  we  heard  the  firing  we  inter- 
preted it  as  the  tocsin  of  the  first  blow  toward  the 
submarine  base  at  Zeebrugge  which  would  help  to 
free  the  seas.  At  night  the  truth  was  learned.  A 
concentrated  barrage  had  torn  up  the  defenses  in 
the  dunes.  The  showers  of  sand  clogged  rifles  and 
buried  machine  guns,  and  a  fire  curtain  on  the  river 
destroyed  all  efforts  to  restore  bridges  and  get  up 
reinforcements.  I  tried  to  get  a  comprehensive 
story  from  two  of  the  few  survivors,  but  no  one  had 
been  able  to  see  in  the  blasts  of  blinding  sand. 

In  the  evening,  from  six  until  seven,  Trommelfeuer 

331 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

raged  across  the  area,  and  at  low  tide  the  naval 
corps  delivered  a  massed  attack,  moving  through  the 
shallow  water  to  envelop  the  flank.  The  trapped 
troops  fought  to  the  last,  but  sand  had  made  even  the 
Lewis  guns  useless.  Many  wounded  had  been  gath- 
ered in  a  shore  tunnel.  Marines  went  straight  to  its 
mouth  and  poured  in  liquid  fire.  There  was  only 
one  survivor.  At  the  headquarters  of  the  Sixtieth 
Rifles,  the  officers  used  their  revolvers  to  the  last 
and  all  were  killed ;  while  a  surrounded  group  of  boy 
officers  of  the  Northamptons  on  the  right  stood  fight- 
ing back  to  back  until  a  machine  gun  piled  them  in 
a  heap.  The  troops,  too,  were  magnificent.  Even 
at  the  last,  only  twenty  unwounded  men  retired 
across  the  river,  where  impotent  British  batteries 
could  not  fire  into  an  area  filled  with  friend  and  foe. 

The  Nieuport  approaches  were  reenforced  and 
held,  but  the  enemy  advanced  his  lines  to  the  Yser, 
adding  to  the  difficulties  of  a  British  advance  along 
the  coast — which  to  the  layman  appears  so  easy  in 
cooperation  with  the  navy.  Some  minor  trench 
howitzers  were  lost — significant  from  the  fact  that  it 
was  the  first  British  artillery  captured  by  Germany 
in  two  years  and  two  months.  Except  at  Verdun, 
France  has  lost  no  uninjured  gun  in  the  same  period. 

From  the  sea,  the  region  of  the  sand  dunes  and 
the  dredged  mouth  of  the  Bruges  canal,  from  which 
U-boats  creep  and  fast  destroyers  dash  out  on  foggy 
nights  to  bombard  unfortified  towns,  looks  simple 

332 


BELGIUM,  1917 

enough.  But  twice  I  have  seen  that  coast  erupt  in 
the  dark.  Long-range  naval  guns  on  concrete  are 
packed  closely  among  the  dunes;  the  sea  area  is 
exactly  plotted,  and  the  naval  cost  of  Zeebrugge 
would  be  a  high  one. 

The  reverse,  however,  was  local.  On  the  strip  of 
Belgium  where  the  knightly  King  lives  among  his 
soldiers  and  the  Queen  works  tirelessly  among  the 
wounded,  the  mass  of  British  guns  is  growing,  and 
on  its  slow  potency  the  Belgians  have  now  pinned 
their  hopes.  The  cost  of  such  artillery  is  stagger- 
ing, but  on  July  31  its  effects  had  their  first  test.  A 
French  Army  had  again  moved  north  of  Ypres  to 
the  lines  where  the  first  gas  attack  murdered  their 
unsuspecting  soldiers.  They  were  massed  on  the 
curve  from  Dixmude  to  the  ' '  Big  Shoot ' '  road,  with 
the  British  on  the  right  before  Langmarck  and  St. 
Julien,  and  on  the  long,  but  now  straightened,  front 
east  of  Ypres  to  Warneton  in  France.  On  this 
twenty-mile  front  the  Allies  swept  forward  in 
unison,  and  captured  the  first  and  second  German 
lines. 

The  third  anniversary  of  the  war  was  ushered  in 
by  a  sixty-hour  downpour  of  rain,  caused  by  the 
heavy  gunfire — the  curse  of  great  offensives.  But 
the  French  were  fighting  in  the  ruins  of  Bixshoote, 
and  the  British  were  across  the  Steenbeck  River, 
with  Pilkem  taken  and  the  outworks  of  Langemarck 
and  St.  Julien.  At  night,  the  German  reserves 

333 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

gained  ground  before  both  these  towns,  but  the  en- 
tire front  had  been  advanced  again,  and  east  of 
Ypres  the  British  line  was  pushed  a  mile  along  the 
Menin  road,  with  Hooge  and  Hollebeke  captured. 

But  the  reserve  lines  were  a  scattered  mass  of 
small  forts  against  which  the  infantry  floundered 
through  deep  mud,  an  easy  mark  for  machine  guns, 
and  the  attacks  were  recalled  to  consolidate  the  new 
line  and  allow  the  guns  to  pave  the  way.  The  front 
was  mudlocked  for  ten  days.  Attacks  and  counter 
attacks  were  local,  but  the  guns  continued.  On  Aug- 
ust 10,  the  line  again  went  forward.  Many  forts 
had  survived  the  pitiless  bombardment,  but  the  Brit- 
ish took  Westhoek,  and  each  day  the  line  made 
progress. 

In  a  week,  the  French  had  pushed  steadily  for- 
ward northeast  of  Ypres  and  flanked  the  Yser  line. 
The  British  cleared  the  rest  of  Langemarck  and  put 
their  lines  one  thousand  yards  beyond.  Boys  of  the 
1918  class  were  captured  in  the  fighting,  and  the 
Seventy-ninth  Division  broke  and  retired  when  the 
first  attack  was  launched. 

By  August  23,  the  British  were  breaking  up  the 
maze  of  minor  forts  east  of  St.  Julien  and  clearing 
the  fortified  woods  which  make  an  almost  impreg- 
nable defense.  On  the  27th,  they  finally  cleared  the 
third  system  on  a  mile  front  across  the  Poelcappelle 
Eoad.  Section  by  section  ground  was  gained. 
Hampered  by  intolerable  weather  the  front  has  been 

334 


BRITISH  WOUXDED  ox  TIIK  MEXIX  ROAD.  OCTOKER.  1!)17 


MASSED  GKRMAN  RESERVES  READY  TO  CHARGE  NEAR  YI-RES,  1915 


BELGIUM,  1917 

pushed  forward  over  four  miles  toward  Roulers. 
After  trusting  to  mud,  and  sacrificing  misfits  in 
thousands,  Prince  Rupprecht  soon  detrained  some 
of  his  finest  troops  at  Iseghem,  and  put  them  on  the 
lines  before  the  British,  who  were  fighting  mud 
rather  than  men.  On  October  12,  Passchendaele 
ridge  was  in  their  grip.  But  mud  held  the  supports 
floundering  until  the  machine  guns  wiped  them  out, 
and  the  line  had  to  fall  back,  losing  heavily.  Noth- 
ing had  dried  fourteen  days  later  when  the  troops 
again  waded  waist-deep  in  water  across  the  morass 
and  stormed  Bellevue,  and  gradually  closed  over  the 
end  of  the  ridge.  The  position  was  dotted  with 
small  screened  forts  which  had  to  be  charged  and 
subdued  by  hand,  under  the  most  difficult  conditions 
that  the  war  has  produced.  Many  wounded  sank 
under  the  slime,  but  in  three  days  all  objectives  were 
gained.  On  November  6  the  British  took  Passchen- 
daele village  five  and  one-half  miles  from  Roulers, 
and  obtained  a  definite  grip  on  the  ridge  to  base  their 
operations  on  the  plain  below. 

France  and  Belgium  have  also  been  wading  to- 
gether, widening  the  base  of  the  broad  British 
wedge  along  the  edge  of  Houthulst  Forest.  And 
Anthoine  has  thrown  his  guns  across  the  swamp, 
near  Merckem,  enfilading  and  forcing  the  German 
batteries  to  retire.  Thus  the  pressure  is  widening 
to  the  coast  as  the  British  front  is  approaching 
Roulers,  cutting  across  communications  with  Ostend 

335 


UNDER  FOUE  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

and  gradually  approaching  the  road  to  Bruges,  from 
which  the  canal  leads  to  Zeebrugge,  the  port  which 
had  been  reconstructed  just  when  war  broke  out, 


gr  /l^^'^outhem     .Wervick 

s-'   #<i         &»  I  N^      t.^v^^v  > 


MAP  No.  9. — THE  ALLIED  DRIVE  IN  BELGIUM. 
The  British  Army  is  aiming  for  the  railroads  across  Belgium 
to  the  coast.    The  French  are  on  the  north  of  the  wedge  with  the 
Belgian  Army  fighting  on  their  left  along  the  Yser  Canal.    The 
broken  line  shows  the  front  of  the  old  Ypres  salient. 

with  German  interests  fostering  the  undertaking. 

Pressure  is  also  growing  toward  Menin,  where  the 

British  are  approaching  communications  above  Lille 

336 


BELGIUM,  1917 

with  the  Ghent-Antwerp  line  their  objective. 
Though  the  German  system  now  keeps  its  reserves 
well  back  and  relies  on  mud  and  the  deep  belt  of  scat- 
tered forts,  the  British  artillery  can  place  barrage 
miles  behind  the  line,  and  the  reserves  lose  heavily 
in  getting  up.  Shell  fire  all  night  makes  it  difficult 
also  to  supply  the  scattered  defenses  with  food  and 
ammunition. 

The  Flanders  battle  must  prove  slow  and  conser- 
vative. In  the  first  two  weeks  the  British  loss  was 
only  21,735.  The  August  total  was  59,811  and  the 
last  week  of  October  24,091  officers  and  men.  This  is 
about  the  number  in  the  massive  column  that  swept 
down  Fifth  Avenue  for  five  hours  on  August  30,  a 
comparison  which  helps  to  visualize  the  cost  of 
modern  war. 

Germany  has  yet  to  be  expelled  from  29,000  square 
kilometers  of  Belgium  and  19,000  square  kilometers 
of  France.  But  this  is  no  hour  for  pessimism.  No 
longer  when  in  Holland  shall  we  live  on  American 
canned  products  and  watch  10,000  cattle  go  to  Ger- 
many in  a  single  May  week.  The  new  guns  are 
patiently  paving  the  way  in  Belgium.  At  Lens,  the 
knell  has  been  sounded  to  Germany's  stolen  coal 
industry,  for  which  she  expended  lives  like  water. 
West  and  south  in  France  the  Allies  are  now  on  the 
enemy's  main  positions.  Douai,  Cambrai,  St.  Quen- 
tin,  and  Laon  are  within  reach,  if  they  cannot  be 
saved  automatically  from  the  destruction  that  will 

337 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

attend  forcible  evacuation.    The  Verdun  gate  to 
France  is  now  barred  as  strongly  as  ever. 

In  Alsace,  France  still  holds  1,000  square  kilo- 
meters of  ground  within  the  German  frontier.  And 
on  the  peaceful  pastures  of  French  Lorraine  a  new 
army  is  growing  daily  and  building  road  and  rail  for 
the  great  base  of  the  legions  yet  to  come.  Its  final 
destination,  the  Germans  say,  is  the  Aisne.  The  lo- 
cation of  its  base  may  presage  that  "Old  Glory" 
will  lead  the  way  to  German  soil. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

FOB  nearly  three  years,  thousands  of  French  chil- 
dren had  been  praying  "Que  le  cceur  de  Jesus 
sauve  la  France!"  That  is  the  reason  why  some 
of  them  in  simple  faith  knelt  among  the  cheering 
crowd  that  greeted  the  first  American  contingent. 
In  the  quaint  French  seaport  selected  for  the  base 
of  the  new  army,  there  was  no  news  of  the  coming 
until  the  flagship  swung  in  with  the  first  transports 
early  on  the  morning  of  June  26.  Bear  Admiral 
Gleaves'  squadron  had  escorted  the  ships  safely 
across,  beating  off  submarines,  and  the  flower  of  the 
United  States  Regular  Army  was  landed  without  the 
loss  of  a  man.  Perhaps  nothing  has  so  thoroughly 
tested  the  efficiency  of  the  War  and  Navy  Depart- 
ments or  given  a  happier  augury  for  the  future  than 
the  equipment  and  transportation  of  this  great  expe- 
ditionary force  to  Europe.  Compare  the  achieve- 
ment with  the  dispatch  of  Shafter's  army  to  Cuba  in 
the  Spanish  War,  where  confusion  and  mismanage- 
ment ruled  from  first  to  last.  The  British,  who  have 
had  to  face  great  problems  in  South  Africa  and  dur- 

339 


TINDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

ing  this  war  in  moving  large  forces  at  sea,  have 
given  it  their  unstinted  praise. 

General  Pershing,  with  his  staff,  had  arrived  in 
France  from  London  on  the  13th.  He  hurried  to  the 
dock  to  greet  General  Sibert,  and  with  little  delay 
the  troops  filed  off  the  boats  and  marched  out  to  their 
first  camp  amid  cheers  and  cries  of  "Vivent  les 
Etats  Unis!"  and  "Nos  amis!"  the  latter  phrase 
becoming  interpreted  as  "Sammies,"  a  name  which 
has  been  adopted  largely  for  the  American  soldiers, 
without  enthusiasm  on  their  part.  In  two  days  th*e 
entire  force  and  its  supplies  were  landed.  The  Age 
of  Chivalry  is  not  dead,  and  no  Crusaders  marched 
for  a  higher  purpose  than  the  soldiers  of  the  United 
States  now  landing  to  help  free  France. 

On  July  4,  the  troops  paraded  through  Paris, 
where  they  received  a  tremendous  ovation,  and  again 
on  France's  Day  (July  14),  when  a  special  contin- 
gent marched  in  the  annual  review  with  their  French 
comrades.  Special  departmental  forces  training  in 
England  received  their  public  reception  on  August 
15,  when  they  marched  across  London,  led  by  the 
massed  bands  of  the  Guards,  and  were  reviewed  by 
Ambassador  Page  and  Admiral  Sims  at  the  Em- 
bassy, and  then  by  the  King  and  Queen  at  Bucking- 
ham Palace. 

From  the  necessary  policy  of  secrecy  for  troop 
movements,  England  has  had  few  opportunities  for 
showing  enthusiasm  during  the  war.  Famous  bat- 

340 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

talions  have  been  moved  quietly  at  night,  and  public 
farewells  have  been  prohibited.  This  undoubtedly 
led  to  apathy  on  the  part  of  the  masses  in  the  early 
stages  of  the  war,  and  only  the  Australians  and  the 
Republican  Guard  Band  of  France  had  given  Lon- 
don a  chance  to  show  its  fervor  until  the  American 
troops  marched  through  its  historic  streets  to  the 
strains  of  "The  long,  long  trail."  The  reaction  of 
long-suppressed  feeling  added  to  the  zest  of  the 
spontaneous  welcome  expressed  by  the  countless 
thousands  packed  along  the  route  from  Waterloo 
Station. 

Every  week  the  arrival  of  fresh  contingents  is 
adding  to  the  army  in  France,  and  though  the  num- 
ber of  men  is  a  secret,  it  was  officially  announced 
in  October  that  the  hundred  thousand  mark  had  been 
exceeded  without  the  loss  of  a  single  life  in  crossing. 
The  incomparable  marines  took  up  land  duty  with 
avidity.  The  infantry  also  was  soon  busy  with 
intensive  training  for  trench  warfare  under  British 
and  French  instructors,  and  the  artillery  followed 
under  the  leadership  of  Brigadier  General  Peyton 
March. 

The  first  work  of  the  engineers  was  to  improve 
the  communications  with  the  various  training  cen- 
ters and  to  take  over  definite  sections  of  French  rail- 
roads from  the  coast  bases  to  the  permanent  camps. 

At  this  interval,  it  was  interesting  to  leave  the 
subconscious  war  depression  of  Europe  and  spend 

341 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

a  few  weeks  in  the  United  States,  to  imbibe  mag- 
nificent optimism  and  return  with  a  full  realization 
of  the  gigantic  effort  that  is  being  made  to  play  a 
notable  part  in  the  conflict.  Many  persons  in  Eu- 
rope expected  grave  disorder  in  the  raising  of  a  con- 
script army.  The  labor  unions  of  Great  Britain  had 
long  dreaded  the  word  "  conscription, "  and  though 
a  magnificent  army  answered  the  call,  the  unfairness 
and  defects  of  the  volunteer  system  were  obvious. 
Voluntary  recruiting  in  the  United  States  had  raised 
the  Eegular  Army  to  300,000  men  of  the  highest 
grade  of  physical  fitness,  and  the  National  Guard  to 
300,000. 

On  July  20,  1917,  lots  were  drawn  for  selective 
drafts  from  nearly  ten  million  men  who  had  regis- 
tered. The  Secretary  of  War  opened  the  drawing 
with  the  first  number,  258.  Many  other  noted  men 
drew  a  capsule,  and  then  the  work  devolved  on  regu- 
lar tellers  until  10,500  numbers  had  been  listed, 
checked,  recorded,  and  sent  to  every  state  so  that 
the  men  holding  corresponding  numbers  in  each  sec- 
tion of  the  country  could  hold  themselves  in  readi- 
ness for  examination,  until  each  state  quota  was 
filled  to  furnish  the  necessary  687,000  men  required 
for  the  National  Army.  Recalling  the  draft  riots  in 
1863,  the  contrast  in  1917  was  remarkable.  The  sys- 
tem worked  perfectly,  in  the  face  of  the  efforts  of 
some  pro-Germans  and  pacifist  editors  to  empha- 
size the  sufferings  and  dangers  of  modern  warfare. 

342 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

While  the  Boards  were  selecting  the  cream  of 
American  manhood  for  service,  the  cantonments  for 
training  the  National  Guard  and  the  new  army  were 
prepared  at  the  following  points : 

National  Guard:  Greenville  and  Spartanburg, 
South  Carolina;  Augusta  and  Macon,  Georgia; 
Montgomery  and  Anniston,  Alabama;  Fort  Worth, 
Texas ;  Fort  Sill,  Oklahoma ;  Deming,  New  Mexico ; 
Waco  and  Houston,  Texas;  Charlotte,  North  Caro- 
lina; Hattiesburg,  Mississippi;  Alexandria,  Louis- 
iana; Linda  Vista  and  Palo  Alto,  California. 

National  Army :  Ayer,  Massachusetts ;  Yaphank, 
Long  Island ;  Wrightstown,  New  Jersey ;  Annapolis 
Junction,  Maryland;  Petersburg,  Virginia;  Colum- 
bia, South  Carolina;  Atlanta,  Georgia;  Chillicothe, 
Ohio ;  Louisville,  Kentucky ;  Battle  Creek,  Michigan ; 
Rockford,  Illinois;  Little  Rock,  Arkansas;  Des 
Moines,  Iowa ;  Fort  Riley,  Kansas ;  Fort  Sam  Hous- 
ton, Texas ;  American  Lake,  Washington. 

When  the  National  Guard  regiments  were  f ederal- 
ized,  they  were  gradually  moved  to  the  cantonments 
in  order  to  start  training  without  delay.  At  this 
time,  after  receiving  a  report  from  General  Per- 
shing,  the  War  Department  decided  to  reorganize  the 
units  of  the  army  so  as  to  correspond  with  the  stan- 
dard of  the  divisions  of  the  Allies.  The  original 
infantry  division  was  composed  of  three  brigades 
of  three  regiments.  The  new  divisions  called  for 
27,152  men  and  416  machine  guns,  divided  into 

343 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

two  brigades  of  two  regiments  each,  but  with  the 
size  of  the  regiments  increased  to  103  officers  and 
3,652  men,  in  companies  of  six  officers  and  250 
men. 

The  platoon  is  the  chief  operating  unit,  58  men 
under  a  lieutenant,  and  is  divided  into  one  section  of 
bombers  and  rifle  grenadiers,  two  sections  of  rifle- 
men, and  eleven  men  with  automatic  rifles. 

The  division  is  made  up  of  the  following  units: 
division  headquarters,  164  men;  machine-gun  bat- 
talions, 768  men;  2  infantry  brigades  of  two  regi- 
ments, 16,420;  brigade  division  artillery — 3  regi- 
ments field  artillery  and  1  trench  mortar  battery 
— 5,068;  field  signal  Battalion,  262;  engineer  regi- 
ment, 1,666;  train  and  police,  337;  ammunition  col- 
umn, 962;  supply  train,  472;  engineer  train,  84; 
sanitary  and  ambulance  department,  949.  Total 
27,152  men. 

Each  division  has  14  machine-gun  companies, 
and  48  sections  automatic  rifles.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  that  when  war  broke  out  the  United  States 
had  only  1,000  machine  guns. 

To  bring  the  National  Guard  regiments  to  war 
strength  rapidly,  drastic  measures  of  redistribution 
had  to  be  taken  which  caused  temporary  unhappi- 
ness  to  men  who  had  long  served  with  a  particular 
regiment  and  were  obliged  to  transfer  in  order  to 
fill  up  the  ranks  of  units  specially  selected  to  be  first 
for  France.  It  was  a  hard  blow  to  men  devoted  to 

344 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

famous  regiments,  and  saturated  with  tradition,  to 
be  moved  suddenly  to  another  command.  But  the 
men  accepted  the  change  in  a  proper  spirit,  and  in 
a  few  weeks  other  regiments  were  grouped  together 
to  form  commands  of  full  strength,  each  receiving  its 
Federal  number  in  a  system  that  is  aiming  at  effi- 
ciency and  cannot  at  this  crisis  take  time  to  cater  to 
tradition. 

While  preparations  were  being  made  for  the  draft, 
officers'  training  camps  were  establishing  at  the 
principal  army  stations,  while  college  camps  and 
the  Plattsburg  idea — which  had  already  provided  a 
valuable  nucleus  of  trained  officers  when  war  started 
— were  enlarged  to  carry  out  this  work.  Germany 
has  scoifed  at  this  hurried  training,  overlooking  the 
short  but  invaluable  period  when  the  call  for  pre- 
paredness stirred  the  colleges  and  led  thousands  of 
business  men  also  to  master  the  rudiments  of  drill. 
She  has  also  forgotten  the  thousands  of  others  in 
the  National  Guard  who  have  spent  their  time  train- 
ing in  the  armories  and  on  the  Texas  border.  These 
were  the  men  whom  three  months  of  intensive  train- 
ing could  make  valuable  captains  for  the  new  Na- 
tional Army,  fully  fitted  to  take  up  the  first  drilling 
of  recruits  while  they  are  also  learning  the  great  les- 
son— the  control  and  understanding  of  men — and 
using  every  spare  hour  in  work  to  perfect  themselves 
for  the  test  to  come.  Britain's  "contemptible" 
army  has  taught  the  War  Lords  some  lessons,  and 

345 


UNDER  FOUB  FLAGS  FOE  FRANCE 

yet  the  German  mind  persists  in  its  delusions.  It 
brags  in  neutral  countries  that  the  American  effort 
will  not  cost  them  a  minute's  sleep,  basing  its  con- 
tention on  arguments  so  petty  that  they  stir  con- 
tempt, not  anger. 

Many  who  have  returned  from  ravished  Europe 
have  felt  that  Americans  were  not  taking  the  war 
seriously.  The  sudden  transition  from  areas  where 
suffering,  bereavement,  and  destruction  are  ever 
present,  to  the  glare  of  Broadway,  to  people  who 
can  still  enjoy  music,  discuss  art  values,  and  sit 
through  plays,  is  startling.  But  after  the  first 
shock,  the  great  deep  purpose  that  is  dominating  the 
country,  the  determination  to  see  it  through,  the 
spirit  of  the  workers,  the  food  conservation  and 
preservation  in  homes  where  only  the  moral  need 
was  urging,  requires  a  more  powerful  pen  than  mine 
to  praise  adequately. 

War  obsession  will  come  with  the  casualty  lists — 
it  is  something  to  shun  like  the  plague,  for  it  grips 
the  mind  too  closely.  Some  writers  deplore  the 
"superficial  hysteria"  of  parades  and  demonstra- 
tions which  everywhere  are  stimulating  young  and 
old,  teaching  them  that  it  is  their  war,  their  battle 
for  right,  not  the  effort  of  an  official  war  brain  which 
the  people  must  passively  support.  And  nothing 
has  been  more  impressive  than  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
conscript  army,  the  interest  shown  in  the  new  camps 
where  men  of  every  grade,  from  homes  of  wealth 

346 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

and  from  East  Side  tenements,  unused  to  discipline, 
raw  to  military  service,  are  learning  the  great  lesson 
of  democratic  comradeship,  together  with  a  subjec- 
tive idealism  that  stirs  the  soul.  If  one  wishes  a 
concrete  object  lesson  of  the  spirit  of  the  National 
Army,  he  should  visit  some  camp  where  he  can  see 
the  bitter  disappointment  of  men  who  have  failed  to 
pass  the  final  test.  With  rigid  physical  examination 
at  the  outset  and  after  preliminary  training,  with 
skilled  psychiatrists  weeding  out  the  mental  weak- 
lings and  those  with  unstable  nerves,  the  new  army 
that  is  gathering  for  France  will  be  the  most  per- 
fect that  the  world  has  known.  When  the  war  broke 
out,  the  Allies  were  forced  to  throw  in  every  avail- 
able man  to  stem  the  tide.  In  exposed  trenches, 
without  proper  artillery,  there  was  often  a  shocking 
waste  of  perfect  manhood  at  points  where  inferior 
troops  could  have  done  the  work  and  saved  the 
cream  for  a  later  era  where  the  highest  standard  was 
imperative. 

Those  days  are  past.  In  three  years  scientific 
tactics  have  been  evolved,  and  high  qualities  of  cour- 
age and  initiative  as  well  as  fortitude  are  required 
to  wrest  supremacy  from  a  foe  which  at  the  outset 
enjoyed  every  advantage  and  demanded  an  awful 
toll  of  "cannon  fodder"  until  the  Allies  could  catch 
up  and  adequately  answer  the  challenge  thrown  sud- 
denly at  an  unsuspicious  world. 

On  a  broad  basis  of  common  experience,  each  army 

347 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

to-day  employs  its  own  methods.  France,  England, 
and  personal  experience  are  all  necessary  tutors  for 
the  new  forces  which  can  profit  by  the  bitter  lessons 
which  the  other  troops  have  learned  in  blood  and 
trench  slime.  But  the  United  States  Army  will  fight 
in  its  own  fashion,  utilizing  the  past  experience  of 
others  with  an  untired  vision  and  a  strong  vitality. 
Gradually  there  will  come  a  new  evolution  of  tactics 
and  theory  on  the  American  front. 

The  use  of  the  bayonet  suits  the  dogged  determi- 
nation of  the  British  troops.  Their  main  idea  is  to 
close  in  on  the  enemy  and  engage  him  hand  to  hand 
in  a, struggle  where  they  soon  prove  that  they  are 
the  better  men.  But  this  frequently  leads  to  heavy 
losses  in  an  impetuous  advance.  The  French  swear 
more  by  grenades  which  can  effectively  confuse  and 
rout  an  enemy  at  a  greater  distance.  Americans 
are  learning  the  methods  of  both  armies,  but  their 
tactics  will  still  retain  faith  in  the  rifle.  It  needs  a 
cool  head  and  steady  nerve  amid  the  crash  of  burst- 
ing shells  and  the  hail  from  machine  guns,  to  pause 
for  effective  aim  at  close  range,  when  it  would  seem 
more  easy  to  dash  through  the  agony  and  get  it  over. 
Even  in  these  days  of  changed  German  methods, 
there  are  many  times  when  the  rifle  can  do  the  best 
work. 

The  motto  of  all  the  Allied  armies  is  '  *  Forward ! ' ' 
and  only  Germany  at  present  has  reason  to  study 
permanent  field  works.  But  American  engineers  in 
France  are  not  neglecting  defensive  studies,  to  make 

348 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

the  front  secure  and  save  the  men  in  case  of  attack. 
At  present  the  United  States  must  depend  upon 
France  for  guns.  The  artillery  is  being  trained  on 
magnificent  proving  grounds  with  French  guns  and 
howitzers.  Artillery  is  playing  the  major  part  in 
this  fighting,  and  no  arm  of  the  service  is  so  difficult 
to  create  after  the  outbreak  of  hostilities.  At  the 
outset,  France's  field  guns  proved  their  superiority 
in  many  ways ;  but  in  every  movement  the  early  suc- 
cesses of  the  Allies  were  checked  when  the  Germans 
could  bring  heavy  guns  into  action.  The  French 
155  mm.  gun  is  very  effective;  it  has  caterpillar 
wheels  and  can  be  both  moved  and  operated  rapidly. 
British  batteries  are  now  the  most  powerful  that 
the  world  has  known.  But  at  first  the  Allies  had  no 
adequate  heavy  artillery. 

The  French  field  gunners  specialize  in  indirect 
fire,  and  their  "75's"  are  the  best  field  batteries  in 
the  world.  The  German  in  attack  in  open  battle  at 
first  massed  their  batteries  and  flung  them  forward, 
protecting  the  guns  by  machine-gun  detachments. 
With  huge  reserves  of  trained  gunners  to  draw  upon, 
they  could  face  the  loss  of  men  entailed.  With  the 
morale  shaken  by  the  roar  of  guns  at  close  range, 
the  first  lines  were  at  a  disadvantage  when  masses 
of  German  infantry  were  brought  up  and  launched 
at  some  vulnerable  point  in  the  shell-torn  front  of 
hastily  constructed  trenches.  But  not  one  assault 

349 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

in  a  hundred  gained  success  commensurate  with  the 
loss  of  men  sustained. 

The  efficiency  of  Krupp  was  ably  seconded  by  the 
Skoda  works  of  Austria.  Any  one  who  knows  these 
works  realizes  that  the  Teutonic  Allies  entered  the 
war  with  a  perfect  artillery  equipment.  But  as  the 
months  of  slaughter  dragged  on,  the  French  and 
British  slowly  overcame  their  costly  and  surprising 
deficiencies. 

In  the  early  mobilization,  skilled  French  workers 
were  swept  to  the  front  and  killed  before  the  country 
could  recover  its  poise.  In  Pas  de  Calais,  engi- 
neering works,  imperative  for  scores  of  military 
necessities,  had  been  closed  through  lack  of  labor, 
and  valuable  property  was  scrapped  because  simple 
repairs  could  not  be  made.  The  British  enlisted  and 
lost  thousands  of  skilled  men  soon  wanted  to  make 
guns  and  shells.  A  selective  draft  obviates  these 
errors. 

Second  only  to  Krupps  are  the  French  ordnance 
works  at  Le  Creusot.  From  these  famous  factories 
which  have  given  France  her  world-famed  "75" 
guns,  howitzers  and  mortars  are  now  being  turned 
out  in  quantity  and  quality  which  have  rearranged 
the  average.  While  the  Germans  were  blaming  the 
United  States  for  making  ammunition  for  France, 
the  Schneider  Company,  cooperating  with  the  Gov- 
ernment, was  turning  out  at  Bourges  and  other 
works  all  the  shells  necessary  for  the  French  Army. 

350 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

Germany  alone  seemed  to  appreciate  at  first  the 
expenditure  of  ammunition  necessary  to  maintain 
an  average  battle.  While  the  British  were  still 
using  shrapnel,  much  of  Germany's  first  success 
came  from  her  high  explosive  shells  which  tore  away 
all  obstructions  and  killed  by  concussion.  The 
secret  of  the  penetration  of  their  great  shells  against 
forts  was  the  soft  nose  or  cap  which  spread  on  im- 
pact and  tore  through  the  hardest  steel.  The  six- 
teen-inch  defense  gun  of  the  United  States  is  in  all 
points  superior  to  the  German  or  Austrian  siege 
guns,  except  for  the  mounting  for  mobile  field  work. 
Its  range  is  18,580  yards,  and  muzzle  velocity  2,250 
feet  per  second.  The  projectile  weighs  2,400  pounds. 
Yet  the  Krupp  howitzers  were  called  a  surprise  to 
the  world. 

Trinitrotoluol,  or  T.  N.  T.,  now  in  general  use,  is 
a  powerful  and  safe  explosive,  derived  from  a  coal- 
tar  product  and  more  easily  handled  than  Melinite 
or  Lyddite,  with  their  dangerous  base  of  picric  acid. 
T.  N.  T.  can  easily  be  prepared  from  coal,  and  the 
seizure  of  the  main  coal  and  iron  fields  of  France  and 
Belgium  has  greatly  solved  the  question  of  German 
ammunition.  Ammonal,  used  in  the  Austrian  shells, 
deteriorates  easily,  and  in  Belgium  and  at  Maubeuge 
many  of  these  shells  failed  to  explode. 

In  machine  guns,  the  Vickers-Maxim  of  the  latest 
model,  which  was  severely  tested  and  approved  by 
the  Sixth  Cavalry  in  Texas,  has  received  high  praise 

351 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

from  the  British  for  its  simplicity  and  durability. 
The  Benet-Mercier  (also  used  in  the  United  States 
Army)  is  lighter,  is  air-cooled,  and  can  be  fired  with- 
out a  tripod,  but  certain  disadvantages  are  ascribed 
in  France  to  the  lighter  weapons,  which  outweigh 
their  greater  rapidity  of  fire.  All  authorities  seem 
to  favor  a  tripod  to  insure  accuracy,  although  the 
Germans  frequently  steady  their  weapon  with  chains 
from  the  belt — padlocked  so  that  the  gunners  have 
no  chance  to  escape  and  so  work  their  weapons  until 
the  last. 

From  guns  let  us  turn  to  casualties.  France  owes 
a  great  debt  to  the  American  Ambulance  men  who 
have  worked  so  tirelessly  among  her  wounded.  The 
United  State  Hospitals  at  Etaples  have  also  done 
magnificent  work  for  the  British  troops,  maintain- 
ing a  large  and  efficient  staff  under  Major  Collins, 
U.  S.  A.,  and  Dr.  Gushing  of  Harvard.  American 
wounded  will  now  reap  the  full  benefit  of  earlier  re- 
search and  will  escape  many  of  the  perils  that  have 
so  greatly  added  to  the  death  toll  in  France. 

Nothing  is  more  bewildering  than  the  stream  of 
wounded  which  pours  down  the  lines  of  communica- 
tions after  a  battle.  Splendid  hospital  trains,  adja- 
cent ports  and  ships  to  take  the  wounded  home,  have 
mitigated  the  sufferings  of  the  British  troops.  With 
the  enemy  holding  a  vast  area  and  contingent  rail- 
roads, the  French  have  faced  greater  difficulties. 
Enough  hospital  trains  cannot  always  be  run  on 

352 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

congested  railroads,  and  after  engagements  the  ordi- 
nary trains  have  to  be  utilized,  where  the  springless 
box  cars  with  the  familiar  "Hommes  32-40  Chevaux 
(En  Long)  8,"  become  messengers  of  horror  to  the 
shattered  bodies  which  must  be  conveyed  beyond  the 
war  zone.  But  the  agony  of  smashed  bones  and  torn 
flesh  is  soon  allayed  by  the  splendid  efficiency  of  the 
hospitals  of  the  Croix  Rouge  Frangaise  under  the 
joint  management  of  the  societies  of  the  Secours 
aux  Blesses,  Femmes  de  France,  and  Les  Dames 
Frangaise.  During  the  first  weeks  of  war,  the  ap- 
palling records  of  French  wounded  could  not  be  com- 
piled. During  the  six  weeks  following  the  Marne 
victory — September  15  to  November  30 — there  were 
489,333,  practically  half  a  million  French  wounded; 
and  the  Army  and  the  French  Bed  Cross  together 
had  organized  and  equipped  3,968  hospitals  and  had 
set  up  400,000  permanent  beds.  These  figures  will 
help  one  to  realize  the  sufferings  of  French  democ- 
racy. 

Surgery  and  science  have  made  vast  strides  during 
the  war,  where  desperate  cases  in  thousands  have 
justified  the  most  drastic  and  heroic  experiments, 
from  which  accepted  theories  have  become  nega- 
tived and  new  facts  have  been  successfully  demon- 
strated, with  marvelous  results.  The  fertilized  soil 
of  the  war  zone  abounds  in  deadly  bacilli.  At  first, 
gangrene,  tetanus,  and  kindred  complications  super- 
vened with  appalling  frequency.  The  foremost  sur- 

353 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

geons  of  France,  Great  Britain,  and  the  United 
States  have  devoted  their  time  and  skill  to  the  sub- 
ject, with  extraordinary  success.  An  anti-tetanus 
serum  was  soon  prepared,  and  owing  to  the  rapid 
action  of  the  bacilli  measures  were  instituted  to  in- 
oculate the  wounded  on  the  field.  The  first  work  of 
the  Army  Medical  Corps  is  to  apply  a  field  dressing 
and  inject  the  serum. 

The  continued  fury  of  modern  battle  and  the  de- 
lay in  removing  the  wounded  on  crowded  lines  of 
communications  made  common  gangrene  very  fre- 
quent in  the  French  Army.  But  it  was  soon  obvious 
that  the  disease  which  supervenes  from  delay  in 
dressing  a  wound  also  rose  from  direct  infection  by  a 
deadly  germ  that  long  defied  detection  and  termi- 
nated in  amputation  or  fatality.  The  antidote  has 
now  been  discovered. 

Clean  wounds  are  rare  among  men  exposed  for 
weeks  in  muddy  trenches.  The  rigors  of  the  cam- 
paign often  weaken  the  powers  of  resistance  to  in- 
fection. Experiments  are,  however,  evolving  a  uni- 
versal serum  which  contains  the  elements  of  the 
most  common  and  deadly  bacilli  of  the  battle  field. 
Prompt  injection  after  a  wound  enables  the  blood 
to  resist  the  progress  of  the  most  dangerous  invad- 
ers, and  a  second  injection  will  so  stimulate  the  re- 
action that,  when  the  infection  of  the  wound  com- 
mences, the  blood  of  the  patient  is  ready  to  neutral- 
ize the  enemy.  As  the  science  is  developed  it  may 

354 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

become  customary  in  the  near  future  to  inoculate  all 
the  soldiers  going  to  the  front  with  a  serum  which 
will  render  them  immune  to  the  most  horrible  penal- 
ties of  war,  though  at  present  cultures  on  an  enor- 
mous scale  can  barely  sustain  the  supply  necessary 
to  treat  the  wounded.  Dothienteric  fever  and  ex- 
anthematic  typhus  are  no  longer  dreaded,  but  there 
are  still  forms  of  gas  gangrene  which  defy  treat- 
ment. 

General  experience  in  the  war  is  proving  the  theory 
that  resistance  to  infection  should  come  from  within 
rather  than  from  without.  Powerful  disinfectants 
dry  the  healing  lymph  which  nature  throws  out  to 
kill  bacteria,  and  destroy  tissue,  in  which  new  germs 
can  quickly  find  a  home.  New  discoveries  enable 
the  germs  to  be  attacked  safely  from  without  and 
within,  and  thus  the  dangers  are  minimized. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  lives  have  been  saved 
by  antityphoid  inoculation.  The  valuable  experi- 
ence of  the  United  States  troops  roused  both  the 
French  and  British  authorities  to  the  importance 
of  the  treatment.  With  thousands  of  decomposing 
bodies  and  the  conditions  which  must  arise  from  mil- 
lions of  men  living  in  earthworks,  their  armies  have 
enjoyed  comparative  immunity.  Dysentery,  chol- 
era, enteric,  and  many  other  evils  have  raised  their 
heads,  but  all  have  been  successfully  combated. 
Even  cerebrospinal  meningitis  has  been  checked, 
the  fatal  microbe  being  boldly  extracted  in  sufficient 

355 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

quantity  to  give  ample  supply  for  its  study  and  com- 
bat. Thus  from  War,  the  grim  destroyer,  there 
has  sprung  scientific  knowledge  which  must  prove  of 
enormous  value  to  humanity. 

After  first  aid  has  been  applied  on  the  field,  the 
casualties  are  carried  to  the  ambulance  stations 
where  some  attention  can  be  given — the  British 
generally  including  an  intravenous  saline  infusion; 
they  are  then  sent  to  a  regular  dressing  station  on 
the  edge  of  the  danger  zone,  and  thence  to  the  nearest 
casualty  clearing  station,  where  the  patients  pass 
under  the  eye  of  skilled  surgeons  who  operate  when 
necessary,  and  the  men  are  there  prepared  for  the 
final  ordeal  of  transfer  to  the  base  hospitals. 

The  French  Premieres  Posies  de  Secour  are 
usually  bomb-proof  excavations  in  the  actual 
trenches.  Light  cars  have  now  been  installed — 
"voitures  de  garde" — which  carry  two  stretchers 
and  can  ply  from  close  to  the  firing  line  to  the  ambu- 
lance trains  which  run  to  the  evacuation  hospitals. 
The  casualty  clearing  stations  are  set  up  in  houses 
safely  available  near  the  fighting.  The  building  is 
scoured,  drenched  with  carbolic,  and  whitewashed. 
Army  cots — stretchers  on  trestles — are  set  up,  bed 
ticks  are  filled  with  straw,  and  a  room  is  fitted  up  for 
operations.  Portable  sterilizers,  Arnold  kettles  for 
dressings,  and  operating  tables  are  placed,  and  in 
a  few  hours  an  efficient  hospital  is  improvised. 
Directly  a  convoy  arrives,  each  patient  is  examined 

356 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

by  the  officer  of  the  day,  tagged,  and  sorted  in  wards. 
The  "cases"  are  washed,  dressed,  and,  unless  urg- 
ent, are  given  a  cigarette — the  soldier's  analgesic. 
Then,  after  a  bowl  of  soup,  the  patient  is  induced  to 
sleep  until  the  surgeon  is  ready.  It  is  comforting 
to  know  that  the  percentage  of  casualties  is  now 
much  lighter  than  in  the  earlier  battles,  and  the 
ratio  of  death  from  wounds  is  greatly  reduced.  The 
shambles  of  the  earlier  periods  are  past  history. 

Special  schools  for  the  training  of  officers  in  in- 
fantry tactics  have  been  organized  in  France  by 
General  Bullard,  and  every  lesson  is  being  thor- 
oughly learned  by  eager  students  who  will  impart 
the  knowledge  to  the  new  regiments,  so  that  every 
unit  will  take  its  place  at  the  front  trained  in  the 
art  of  modern  war.  And  that  means  conservation 
of  life. 

When  in  the  United  States  recently,  I  was  sur- 
prised to  hear  contempt  expressed  for  men  who  had 
joined  ambulance  companies.  Those  who  know  the 
danger  of  collecting  wounded  under  fire,  the  diffi- 
culty of  carrying  stretchers  across  shell-swept, 
muddy  ground,  realize  that  nerve  and  endurance  of 
high  quality  are  required.  France  at  first  had  to 
rely  on  ambulance  men  unfit  for  army  service.  They 
worked  heroically,  but  they  had  not  the  stamina  for 
the  task,  and  suffering  and  death  resulted.  As  I 
recently  watched  American  stretcher  bearers  under 
training,  my  mind  reverted  to  the  horror  of  the  early 

357 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

days  of  the  war,  from  which  the  troops  of  the  United 
States  will  largely  be  spared. 

In  feeding  and  equipment  of  the  American  forces, 
efficiency  and  forethought  are  evident  on  every  side. 
Most  of  the  grave  disasters  that  threatened  the  army 
in  Cuba  arose  from  imperfect  commissary.  Coffee 
was  shipped  unroasted  and  unground.  The  canned 
beef  was  offal.  Crackers  were  sent  in  unlined  boxes 
and  arrived  in  a  moldy  pulp,  and  there  were  no  anti- 
scorbutic rations.  To-day  the  supply  organization 
is  reaching  for  perfection.  Trained  cooks,  field- 
kitchens,  a  varied  diet,  and  a  rigid  system  of  inspec- 
tion which  secures  only  the  best  for  the  army  will 
prevent  the  development  of  those  weak  points  which 
often  have  serious  consequences  in  the  field. 

Each  war  winter  in  Europe  has  been  more  severe 
than  its  predecessor.  The  human  cataclysm  seems 
to  have  affected  the  elements,  and  for  three  years  the 
secure  defensive  of  the  enemy  made  the  weather  his 
greatest  ally.  The  fourth  winter  started  early,  but 
on  great  stretches  of  the  front  the  warm  German 
dugouts  have  gone  and  in  the  new  system  of  defenses 
mud,  rain,  and  cold  are  telling  heavily.  But  the 
general  health  of  the  American  troops  remains  good, 
and  thanks  to  the  busy  fingers  of  devoted  women 
large  supplies  of  knitted  garments  are  enabling  the 
men  to  face  the  rawness  of  France  with  equanimity. 
Crush  those  pro-German  stories  that  say  that  this 
work  is  wasted.  The  need  for  voluntary  effort  is 

358 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

great — your  socks  and  sweater  may  save  a  life — 
and  though  in  the  first  enthusiasm  some  regiments 
enjoyed  a  surfeit  and  others  went  short,  a  perfect 
organization  is  growing,  and  nothing  sent  through 
the  proper  channels  is  wasted.  With  suitable  cloth- 
ing and  food,  open-air  life  acts  as  a  tonic,  and  the 
first  weeks  of  exposure  to  a  war  winter  have  left  the 
American  troops  with  a  percentage  of  sickness  one- 
half  that  of  the  normal  figures  of  an  army  post. 

The  canvas  legging  is  the  only  article  of  equip- 
ment criticized,  and  it  will  be  replaced  by  the  put- 
tee. The  British  steel  helmet,  which  is  by  far  the 
most  effective  yet  made,  has  been  issued  to  the 
army. 

With  the  countryside  long  stripped  of  active  men, 
the  barns  and  wagon  sheds  in  which  thousands  of 
troops  are  billeted  needed  more  than  ordinary  polic- 
ing. The  story  of  Santiago  was  repeated.  Every 
district  was  rapily  cleaned  out.  Surface  drains  were 
dug,  cesspools  removed,  water  supply  installed,  and 
with  a  generous  scouring  and  whitewashing  of  in- 
teriors the  ancient  villages  have  been  made  over. 
Every  law  of  sanitation  is  now  enforced. 

Think  what  this  vigor  means  to  those  war-tired 
French  women  and  old  men  who  have  been  carrying 
their  lonely  burdens  with  dull  resignation.  To-day 
they  face  the  future  with  a  strengthened  faith.  Of 
course,  the  cheery  optimism  of  American  soldiers 
sometimes  wounds  the  susceptibilities  of  those  who 

359 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

have  borne  the  awful  weight  from  the  outset.  The 
confident  way  that  the  men  speak  of  smashing  the 
stubborn  line,  of  ''sweeping  to  the  Rhine,"  the  spirit 
that  believes  there  will  not  be  much  more  to  do  than 
cheer  when  the  new  army  strikes  in  force,  sometimes 
grates  on  the  ears  of  Allies  who  have  had  to  do  so 
much  with  edge-worn  tools,  and  who  feel  that  their 
sacrifices  have  broken  the  back  of  the  enemy's  first 
power  of  resistance.  Yet  what  an  asset  is  this  un- 
shaken confidence!  In  itself  it  creates  the  winning 
spirit,  and  by  no  means  should  it  be  discouraged. 
Americans  who  appreciate  the  conditions  faced  by 
the  Allies  and  who  feel  that  these  are  early  days 
for  boasting,  will  have  an  easier  task  in  explaining 
this  spirit  to  those  who  will  reap  much  from  its 
virtues,  than  in  trying  to  curb  youthful  tongues  which 
sometimes  seem  tactless. 

I  have  seen  four  major  air  raids  where  Ameri- 
cans stood  the  test:  two  in  France,  where  college 
ambulances  dashed  through  the  area  when  bombs 
and  shrapnel  were  falling;  two  in  England,  where 
army  nurses  raced  as  volunteers  with  fearless  Brit- 
ish ambulance  women,  and  American  soldiers  joined 
British  Tommies  in  dragging  victims  from  burning 
debris  when  the  air  was  full  of  bursting  shells. 
Such  incidents  strike  a  note  of  harmony  that  has  the 
deepest  import. 

The  French  and  British  officers  expected  self-reli- 
ance, courage,  and  initiative  in  the  American  Army. 

360 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

But  they  doubted  its  discipline.    This  is  a  quality 
which  they  no  longer  question. 

Here  is  one  keynote  of  the  system  from  United 
States  Army  regulations : 

"When  issuing  orders,  a  commander  should  indi- 
cate clearly  what  should  be  done  by  each  subordinate, 
but  not  how  it  is  to  be  done.  A  subordinate  who  is 
reasonably  sure  that  his  intended  action  would  be 
ordered  by  the  commander  were  he  present,  has  en- 
couragement to  go  ahead  confidently.  When  circum- 
stances render  it  impracticable  to  consult  the  author- 
ity issuing  an  order,  officers  should  not  hesitate  to 
vary  it  when  it  is  clearly  based  on  an  incorrect  view 
of  the  situation,  or  has  been  rendered  impracticable 
on  account  of  changes  since  its  promulgation.  Su- 
periors should  be  careful  not  to  censure  an  apparent 
disobedience  when  the  act  was  done  in  a  proper 
spirit  and  to  advance  a  general  plan." 

I  could  give  a  hundred  instances  of  German  fail- 
ure from  lack  of  subordinate  initiative.  At  times 
when  a  specified  target  has  been  designated,  the 
artillery  has  lost  vital  opportunities  while  they 
waited  for  orders  to  change  it.  Troops  sent  to  cap- 
ture a  certain  section  have  frequently  failed  to  go  on 
when  the  chance  was  theirs.  After  the  first  gas  at- 
tack at  Ypres,  a  wide  gap  was  filled  up  and  a  new 
front  built  under  the  eyes  of  masses  that  had  halted, 
unopposed,  for  supports,  and  came  on  again  too 
late. 

361 


UNDER  POUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

Impetuosity  must  be  restrained,  but  initiative  must 
never  be  lost. 

During  the  last  week  of  October,  1917,  a  shot  was 
heard  which  echoed  around  the  world.  American 
troops  had  moved  up  the  night  before  to  share  the 
first-line  trenches  with  the  French.  It  was  wet  and 
cold,  but  officers  had  to  order  their  men  to  stop  sing- 
ing as  they  marched  through  the  blackness  which  de- 
velops a  sixth  sense.  When  they  moved  cheerily  to 
the  first  line,  every  soldier  received  a  warm  greeting 
from  the  poilus,  and  then  settled  himself  in  the  mud 
for  a  tiresome  vigil,  with  sentries  peering  for  the 
first  time  across  the  desolation  of  "No  Man's  Land" 
to  the  enemy's  position. 

The  men  had  previously  been  trained  on  an  area 
dugout  in  a  replica  of  the  section  which  they  were  to 
occupy.  For  days  they  had  repeated  every  item  of 
duty.  Their  final  dress  rehearsal  took  place  under 
Joffre's  eye,  and  then  the  men  started  on  the  first 
real  step  of  the  Great  Adventure.  Every  unit  took 
its  place  without  a  sound  reaching  the  watchful 
enemy,  and  at  6  A.  M.  American  gunners,  sandwiched 
with  the  French  artiflots  on  the  front  artillery  posi- 
tion, fired  their  first  shot.  The  shell  case  was  given 
to  General  Sibert  to  be  forwarded  to  President  Wil- 
son. 

An  artillery  duel  was  soon  raging,  the  Ajnerican 
gunners  working  the  famous  French  "75's." 

362 


THE  UNITED  STATES  STEPS  IN 

Though  Sergeant  Calderwood  and  Private  Branni- 
gan  of  the  railroad  troops,  struck  by  shell  splinters, 
were  the  first  American  soldiers  to  be  wounded  in 
France,  the  honor  of  the  first  wound  under  combat 
conditions  goes  to  Lieutenant  Harden  of  the  Signal 
Corps,  who  was  injured  by  a  shell  splinter. 

On  the  night  of  October  27,  an  American  patrol  be- 
yond the  French  wire  met  their  first  Germans,  who 
were  taking  a  short  cut  between  the  trenches. 
Bolting  when  challenged,  one  was  mortally  wounded, 
and  then  carried  back  for  the  most  considerate  treat- 
ment possible  until  the  end.  A  week  later,  a  supe- 
rior German  force,  under  a  heavy  barrage,  raided  a 
minor  salient  on  this  front,  killing  three  Americans 
and  capturing  twelve.  The  names  of  Enright,  Gres- 
ham  and  Hay  appear  first  on  the  army's  roll  of  hon- 
ored dead. 

After  a  few  days '  experience,  German  sniping  died 
down.  American  sharp-shooters  had  an  unpleasant 
knack  of  locating  their  shots  and  replying  accurately. 
Week  by  week  battalions  are  relieving  each  other  on 
the  first  lines,  intelligently  carrying  out  the  generally 
monotonous  duties  of  trench  warfare.  As  the  train- 
ing grew  more  complete,  the  French  troops  were  per- 
manently relieved.  The  final  test  for  which  all  are 
waiting  will  come  with  the  order  ' '  Over  the  top  and 
the  best  of  luck!" 

There  is  little  pessimism  among  any  troops  at  the 
front.  The  British  army  is  at  the  zenith  of  its 

363 


UNDER  FOUR  FLAGS  FOR  FRANCE 

power  and  asks  only  for  fine  weather.  Their  guns 
of  enormous  range  are  giving  the  Germans  no  winter 
respite.  The  French  army,  with  3,000,000  seasoned 
fighting  men,  is  more  resigned,  but  never  despondent. 
The  American  Army  is  eagerly  waiting  the  word  to 
attack,  straining  at  the  leash. 

No  one  who  has  seen  the  horrors  of  this  or  any  war 
can  write  a  paean  to  glorify  it.  Neither  can  they  min- 
imize its  great  spiritual  values.  No  man  can  face 
death  or  see  his  comrades  go  to  the  Great  Unknown, 
and  remain  unchanged.  Splendid  lessons  of  self- 
sacrifice  are  learned  daily.  Everything  material  in 
life  has  an  altered  value,  and  new  spiritual  influences 
create  an  idealism  over  the  stern  veneer  that  hard- 
ship and  lack  of  comfort  create.  Acheron  has  to  be 
crossed,  but  in  the  passing  there  is  thg  call  of  some- 
thing higher  than  self,  and  a  reward  that  cannot  be 
judged  by  material  standards. 


(i) 


DATE  DUE 


GAYLORD 


PRINTED  IN  U.S.A. 


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